Mayawati resigned as Uttar Pradesh chief minister in August

Mayawati, the former chief minister of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, said she was being harassed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

On Monday, India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case against Mayawati and seven others in connection with a controversy surrounding the Taj Mahal.

They have been accused of allegedly approving a massive shopping complex near the Taj Mahal in violation of laws protecting the famous monument.

The accused include Mayawati, former state environment minister Nasimuddin Siddique and former federal environment secretary KC Mishra.

All three deny any wrongdoing in connection with the case.

The CBI has to complete its investigation and formally charge them within three months.

A court would then decide whether the eight should be tried on three counts - dereliction of duty, illegally amassing wealth and violating laws protecting the monument.

Investigators must establish who approved the discredited scheme

Last month the Supreme Court ordered an investigation into alleged irregularities committed by Mayawati over the matter.

Mayawati has always denied any knowledge of the building project, which was abandoned after a public outcry in July.

Her fragile coalition government in Uttar Pradesh broke up last month amid recriminations over the project.

Shortly afterwards the CBI interviewed her in connection with the plans.

Mayawati, a schoolteacher turned politician, is India's best-known leader of Dalit, or low-caste, groups.

'Incomplete'

Any prosecution of Mayawati and Mr Siddiqui would need the approval of the governor of Uttar Pradesh state.

Work on the Taj shopping complex began last November.

The Uttar Pradesh government said it needed to relocate shops that had been removed from the Taj Mahal premises under a Supreme Court order.

It also argued that tourists would be able to visit the Taj Mahal without travelling through the crowded and polluted streets of Agra city.

The Taj Mahal is a 17th century mausoleum, built by the emperor Shah Jahan for his wife, Mumtaz, who died during childbirth.