The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday formally recommended a CBI inquiry into the controversial allotment of plots of land in Noida during the previous Samajwadi party regime.

The state cabinet, in its meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mayawati, ratified the decision taken by the government in this regard on Monday last.

The government has also decided to scrap the Justice (retd) A N Gupta Commission formed on July 14, 2005 by the previous regime to inquire the matter, Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh told reporters after the meeting.

The commission has not submitted any report till date, he said.

As many as 1,250 plots were allotted to a number of people, including politicians, mediapersons, bureaucrats and relatives of retired judges, by the Noida authorities, allegedly in violation of rules.

The allotments, however, raised much hue and cry following which the then Mulayam Singh Yadav government constituted an inquiry commission headed by Justice Gupta.

The commission was to submit its report by January 2006. Its tenure was extended several times and finally on May 7, Yadav directed that its tenure be extended till July 31 but owing to the model code of conduct being in force the go to this effect could not be issued.

Meanwhile on December 4, 2005, a PIL was moved in the Allahabad High Court seeking quashing of the allotments.

The high court had later quashed the allotments and ordered for a CBI inquiry.

The Supreme Court, however, stayed the CBI probe after the state government pleaded that a commission was already looking into the matter and that the allotments had been cancelled.

Senior Congress leader and Union Minister Kapil Sibal had released a list last month during election campaign containing names of allottees in Noida which included several senior bureaucrats close to the then regime.

The list also had the names of kins of retired and serving High Court and Supreme Court judges besides politicians, most of them associated with the SP.

Sources said that the state government would soon approach the apex court seeking withdrawal of its special leave petition challenging the High Court order.

The decision comes close on the heels of recommending a CBI probe into the killing of the former BSP MLA Raju Pal, who was shot dead in Allahabad last year.

SP Lok Sabha member Ateeq Ahmed and his brother were the prime accused in the matter.