Herald case: Court reserves order on Swamy's applications

A Delhi court today reserved its order on three applications moved by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in the ongoing National Herald case in which he has accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, his mother Sonia Gandhi and others of allegedly cheating and misappropriating funds.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal would pronounce the orders on May 26 on the applications, which have been opposed by the Gandhis and others contending that they were without any merit.

The BJP leader, in a private criminal complaint which formed the main case, has accused the Gandhis and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by paying just Rs 50 lakh, through which Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YI) obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that Associate Journals Ltd owed to the Congress.

In the first application, the BJP MP has sought certain documents from the Congress, while in his second plea, Swamy has sought a direction to the Gandhis to either admit or deny certain documents filed by him on whether they are originals.

In his third application, Swamy has requested the court to take on record certain documents related to the Income Tax department, claiming he had found them lying along with newspapers at his doorstep.

While Swamy has said there were enough material before the court to allow his applications, the accused have urged the court to dismiss them.

All the seven accused - the Gandhis, Motilal Vora (AICC treasurer), Oscar Fernandes (AICC general secretary), Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda and YI - have denied the allegations levelled against them in the case.

The court had summoned the accused persons, besides YI, on June 26, 2014.

On December 19, 2015, it had granted bail to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Vora, Fernandes and Dubey, who had appeared before it pursuant to the summonses. Pitroda was also granted bail on February 20, 2016 when he had appeared in the court.

Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Vora, Fernandes, Dubey and Pitroda had been summoned for the alleged offences of misappropriation of property, criminal breach of trust and cheating, read with criminal conspiracy of the Indian Penal Code.