Mayawati's memorials still off-limits, says court

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has ruled that the memorials and parks that have landed Mayawati in court will remain off-limits to her for now.

There are several cases against the UP Chief Minister for using tax payers' money to create these parks, intended as memorials for Dalit icons, including herself. Some of these are being heard by the Allahabad High Court. A separate petition is being heard in the Supreme Court.

Mayawati had asked that all cases be clubbed together in the Supreme Court. Rejecting this, the Supreme Court has said that Mayawati cannot carry out any construction at these parks till the cases are decided. It has also asked the High Court to give its verdict on all cases related to the issue within four months.

In September last year, the Supreme Court ordered that all construction be stopped at these parks. The estimated cost for these memorials is more than 2000 crores. Various media companies, including NDTV, found the court order being defied. A furious Supreme Court then told Mayawati she would face serious consequences if her government didn't follow the court's instructions.