The Supreme Court suo moto took up the issue, and on July 16, 2003, directed the CBI to conduct a preliminary inquiry and submit a report to the court.

On Sep 18 that year, the apex court was prima facie satisfied that Mayawati and Naseemuddin Siddiqui were involved in a Rs.175 crore scam and construction was launched without obtaining the necessary statutory environmental clearances.

The apex court ordered that an FIR be registered against Mayawati, her minister Siddiqui and four other senior bureaucrats following which cases were registered against them under sections 120(B), 420, 467, 468, 471 IPC and Section 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The CBI duly filed a chargesheet against Mayawati and Siddiqui as well as other officials.

In the meantime, Mayawati returned to power in May 2007. Soon after, the Uttar Pradesh governor turned down permission to prosecute the chief minister.

The petitioners alleged that the CBI's move to seek the governor's permission was engineered by the Congress party and therefore the whole affair was politically motivated.

Last month, the Allahabad High Court reserved its verdict in the case.

However, now that it has decided to admit the PIL, Mayawati is in for fresh trouble.