She was charged under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

Just about the same time, her house in Lucknow was attacked and torched by a mob.

At a meeting in Moradabad Wednesday, Joshi had mocked at the state director general of police flying down to Dalit rape victims in recent days and spending huge amounts to distribute compensation of Rs.25,000 to Rs.75,000 to each of them.

She reportedly told the women that they should not only throw the compensation money back at the government's face, but if this was how the rape victims were going to get justice, 'tell her (Mayawati) we would give Rs.1 crore' if she faced the same trauma.

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi was learnt to have been angry with Joshi for having made such a remark. In a meeting with Congress MPs from Uttar Pradesh in New Delhi Thursday, she described the remark as 'completely unacceptable'.