Summons Issued Against Her, Rahul in National Herald Case Illegal : Sonia

24 March, New Delhi

Congress President Sonia Gandhi Tuesday said in Delhi High Court that the summons issued against her, Rahul Gandhi and five others in the National Herald case were illegal.

She claimed that no one was cheated in the acquisition process of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), the publisher of the now defunct National Herald newspaper, by the Young Indian Private Ltd (YIL).

A bench of Justice Sunil Gaur was told by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who represented the Congress chief, that not a single person was cheated during the acquisition.

He said that due to the emotional attachment with AJL as it was supported by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi during Quit India movement, the party helped it by issuing loans worth Rs 90 crore over a period of 50 years. Sibal said that YIL was only a shareholder and does not earn or get a single penny from the AJL.

Contending that it is a simple company matter Sibal asked how was the complainant, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, affected by this private transaction. Sibal also said that the trial court order summoning Gandhi was “full of illegality”.

Besides Sonia and Rahul, Congress treasurer Moti Lal Vora, General Secretary Oscar Fernandes and Suman Dubey had moved the High Court on July 30, 2014 against the trial court order summoning them in the case.

The trial court had on June 26 last year summoned Sonia, Rahul, Vora, Fernandes, Dubey and Sam Pitroda to appear before it on August 7, 2014 on a complaint by Swamy alleging cheating in the acquisition of AJL, by the YIL. Later, the High Court on August 6 had stayed the summons issued against the Gandhis and others.