National Herald case: HC to hear plea of Sonia, Rahul Dec 2

The Delhi High Court Monday posted the plea by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, vice-president Rahul Gandhi and other party leaders in a case related to the acquisition of the National Herald daily for final hearing Dec 2.

Justice V.P. Vaish said he will start hearing the case on regular basis Dec 2.

Apart from the Gandhis, Congress treasurer Moti Lal Vohra, family friend Suman Dubey, and Oscar Fernandes had moved to the high court and sought to quash the summons issued to them by a trial court on a complaint by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy.

Meanwhile, the stay granted by the high court on the criminal proceedings in a trial court here will continue till next date of hearing.

Swamy claimed that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, as majority shareholders of Young Indian Ltd. (YIL), benefited from the acquisition of Associated Journals Ltd. (AJL).

On June 26, the trial court issued summons to the Congress leaders on a complaint by Swamy alleging "cheating" in the acquisition of AJL, the publisher of the now defunct National Herald newspaper, by YIL - "a firm in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi each own a 38-percent stake".

Filing the plea, the Congress leaders said Swamy was a political opponent and the present criminal proceedings were initiated only with an intent to secure an oblique political objective.