Subramanian Swamy cross-examined in National Herald case

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy was on Friday cross-examined in a Delhi court in connection with the National Herald case.

Swamy, the complainant in the case, was cross-examined by the R S Cheema, the counsel of Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, in the Rouse Avenue Court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Samar Vishal.

The office-bearers of the Congress party were "cheats" and the workers were the victims of the cheating, the leader said in a reply to a question asked by the counsel.

He alleged that the publication of the National Herald, which had stopped in 2008, resumed from another website in 2016.

"This was well after the summons in this case was issued on 26 June 2014," the BJP leader added.

Swamy objected to the use of Hindi by Cheema. "Please speak in English. You must remember that I am a Tamilian. English is the language of the court."

Before the debate could escalate any further, the judge intervened and said, "Both Hindi and English are languages of the Court. Hindi is the national language." The counsel, thereafter, refrained from using Hindi.

Swamy had filed the case in 2012 accusing the mother, son and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds.

The BJP lawmaker had stated that the Congress party granted an interest-free loan of Rs. 90.25 crore to Associated Journals Limited (AJL), owner of the National Herald newspaper.