New Delhi:
Another big "No" for the Mayawati government from the Supreme Court over her memorial parks in Lucknow.
On Tuesday, the court rejected Mayawati's request for permission to build temporary toilets and make other arrangements for a special ceremony to be held at the Ambedkar Memorial Park in Lucknow. Mayawati's government had argued that lakhs of people will gather here for BR Ambedkar's birth anniversary on December 6.
In September, the Supreme Court banned all construction work at the many memorial parks being set up by Mayawati in Lucknow in tribute to Dalit leaders including herself. The parks, reported to cost more than 2000 crores, were approved by the UP government. However, the Supreme Court has pointed out that the government cannot sanction this sort of expenditure using taxpayers' money.
Despite the court's ban on construction, the media, including NDTV, found the opposite just days later. This led to a furious attack by the Supreme Court, warning the Mayawati government "not to play games."
The government has formally apologized to the court, but insists it has not violated any orders. Since then, it has filed a series of appeals asking for permission to continue construction required for "maintenance." Each of these appeals has been rejected.