In a relief to Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma, the Supreme Court today refused to entertain a plea seeking a direction to CBI to challenge the 2010 acquittal of the BJP leader in a 1997 case relating to allotment of land to his Kailash Hospital at Noida.
"We are sorry," a bench comprising Chief Justice H L Dattu and Justice Amitava Roy said.
Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, who has been associated as amicus curiae with the 1997 PIL relating to land allotments made in Noida, raised the issue of "locus standi" and said that this issue now cannot be raised.
Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Neera Yadav has been facing various court cases relating to allotment of plots to persons as head of the Noida's Development Authority.
One of the cases pertained to allotment of land to Kailash Hospital in Noida and Sharma, now a Minister in the NDA government, has been acquitted by the trial court.
The fresh plea, which was rejected today, had sought a direction to CBI to file an appeal in the High Court against Sharma's acquittal in 2010 in the land case.
A PIL was filed against Neera Yadav and others in 1997 by the Noida Entrepreneurs Association alleging bungling in the allotment of land in different sectors and in commercial Sector 18 in Noida during her tenure as head of Noida's Development Authority.
