Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi were on Saturday asked by a Delhi court to respond to a petition filed by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy demanding certain documents in the National Herald case. Swamy had asked for the documents to be furnished by the Gandhis and Associated Journalist Ltd, which published the now out-of-print newspaper.
Others linked to the case, including Congress leaders Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda were also given two weeks to respond to the petition. Swamy’s plea claims the documents are crucial to the case as they detail a loan the Congress had given to AJL, as well as relevant material from the Income Tax department and Registrar of Companies.
Last month, the court had set aside an order by a trial court that Swamy was not entitled to government documents related to the case. The court had said at the time, “These orders [to provide the documents] were passed in a casual manner, without notice to the opposite party and without application of mind.
Swamy had accused Sonia and Rahul Gandhi of conspiring and cheating to acquire properties and assets that were owned by the National Herald newspaper, published by Jawaharlal Nehru. The BJP MLA said the two Congress leaders provided an interest-free loan of Rs 90.25 crore to AJL, and transferred the debt to a company called Young India Limited for Rs 50 lakh. Sonia and Rahul Gandhi hold more than three-fourths equity in Young India.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!