The Delhi High Court on Monday quashed a petition by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi seeking to quash a lower court's summons in a case related to acquiring the ownership of the now-defunct National Herald newspaper. The court also declined to grant both the Gandhis an exemption from personal appearance before the trial court in the case. As a result, they must appear in the Delhi court by 4 pm on Tuesday, reported India Today.
The Congress it will challenge the Delhi High Court order, claiming there were "several legal deficiencies" in the verdict. According to television reports, the Congress party will challenge the order in the Supreme Court. The original complaint was filed in the lower court by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy.
The Congress had loaned Rs 90.25 crore to the publisher of National Herald Associated Journals Ltd. On December 28, 2010, it had assigned this debt to charitable company Young India Ltd., in which some Congress members are directors, for Rs 50 lakh. This, according to Swamy, was a breach of trust and cheating.
Following Swamy's complaint, the trial court summoned the two Gandhis and five others, including Congress Treasurer Motilal Vora and General Secretary Oscar Fernandes, family friend Suman Dubey, technology advisor to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Sam Pitroda, and YIL.
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