Delhi HC stays criminal proceedings of lower court against all, including Gandhis till August 13 in National Herald case

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday stayed criminal proceedings of the lower court against all, including Sonia, Rahul and others till August 13 in the National Herald case.

Speaking to the media, advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, lawyer, Congress said, "The court found time to hear us at great length, the arguments as far as the accused are concerned are largely over, except some arguments for one accused are left. The court has yet to hear the argument of the complainant. The court has therefore fixed the next week 13th of August to hear the complainant."

"The accused are not required to present themselves in the court tomorrow, there is a stay of the order under challenge. The matter will come next week. We can only say in a nutshell that the contention on behalf of the accused mainly is that none of the ingredients of the offences alleged, like misappropriation, conversion to own use, benefit to accused, entrustment of property cheating, deception, etcetra etcetra, they are not made out on the face of the complaint was the argument on behalf of the accused by us... We will await the court hearing next week." Singhvi added.

Meanwhile BJP leader Subramanian Swamy who is the complainant in the National Herald case said, "Congress president Sonia Gandhi and his accused argument run for the long time. In all afternoon there arguments were listening.Till my time came it was around 4. So, court has said the thing will carry forward to 13. The judge will decide after listening the discussion. Congress case is very weak it is not strong. Tomorrow I will go to Patiala house and will asked for new date for summon."

According to media reports, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy accused Sonia, Rahul and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by just paying Rs 50 lakh by which Young Indian obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore which the AJL had owed to the Congress party.

Swamy has reportedly alleged that in the present scenario over Rs 2,000 crore worth of assets also got transferred to YI, whose 76 per cent of shareholding vests with Sonia and Rahul Gandhi and the remaining shareholding of 24 per cent vests with the other accused.