Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati late Monday issued a directive for filing criminal cases against officials involved in alleged irregularities in government land allotment to Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan.

Bachchan, said to be close to Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh, was given a plot of land in Barabanki district by the previous regime headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav.

However, the land transfer in his name was cancelled by the then district magistrate following allegations of irregularity in the allotment.

Bachchan challenged the order in a Faizabad court, which rejected his petition Friday.

Following the court verdict, Mayawati late Monday issued a directive ordering the filing of criminal cases against the officials involved in the land allotment, sources in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) told here.