Had they taken timely action, such an incident could have been prevented,' said Congress state unit spokesperson Akhilesh Pratap Singh.

The Allahabad High Court Friday turned down Joshi's plea to quash the police complaint lodged against her for making derogatory remarks against Mayawati.

Joshi was arrested July 16 for her remarks allegedly against Mayawati in Moradabad. She was sent judicial custody for 14 days after being booked under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, but was bailed out after three days.

Her house in Lucknow was set on fire on the night of July 15, allegedly by a group of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) workers.

Joshi has apologised for her remarks, but she continues to demand a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the arson attack on her house.