Taj corridor case

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Taj Heritage Corridor case is a scam wherein 2002-2003, then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Mayawati was charged with corruption .The Taj Corridor project was a project to upgrade tourist facilities near the Taj Mahal implemented during her tenure as Chief Minister .

It appears that some Rs. 175 crore (US$ 44 million) allotted to this project may have disappeared. The case is currently under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation. Initially, the case saw some rapid progress, when CBI conducted extensive searches on her various addresses, and claimed that though she had claimed income of only Rs. 1.1 crores during her tenure as CM, her bank balance in a single bank went up to 2.5 crore and total assets held by her were estimated at Rs.15 crore. At one point a warrant was out for her arrest, but she was granted a stay.

However, since late 2003, investigations appear to have slowed down; there are speculations in the media about political interference, and the Supreme Court of India has several times pulled up the CBI for its tardy progress in the case. In 2007, the governor prevented Mayawati from being prosecuted by refusing to lift her official immunity. Advocates challenged that decision in court, but failed, effectively ending the case without going to trial.

The project is now defunct, and plans are being made to remove the partial construction near the Taj Mahal site and replace it with a low tech forested greenbelt.