Summary:
"Senior advocate S C Mishra, appearing for Mayawati and the BSP, requested the bench to hear the matter in May. EC on January 7, 2012 had ordered that statues of Mayawati and elephants be covered during the state Assembly election.The poll panel had said the measure was taken with the idea that no one should get political mileage. "We will have it for final disposal on April 2. We are of the view that Mayawati should reimburse all the money she spent.”The bench, also comprising justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjeev Khanna said: “We are of the tentative view that Mayawati has to deposit the public money spent on her statues and party symbol to the state exchequer.”The bench made it clear that a tentative view was expressed by it as the matter would take some time for hearing. However, the bench told Mishra, who is also the party's Rajya Sabha MP, that it was fixing a date of April 2 as it will require detail consideration.During the pendency of the PIL, the apex court on February 22, 2010, had asked the Election Commission to examine the plea for removal of installation of these symbols from public places during the 2012 assembly polls..