Herald case:Order reserved on summoning INC's financial detail

A Delhi court today reserved for March 11 its order on a plea by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy seeking summoning of documents related to financial details of Indian National Congress (INC), Associated Journals Pvt Ltd and Young Indian Pvt Ltd for the purpose of investigation in the National Herald case.
Metropolitan Magistrate Lovleen heard Swamy's arguments on the plea during which he contended that his application was maintainable as these documents were required in the matter.
He referred to the court's June 26, 2014 order summoning Congress President Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul Gandhi, Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda as accused in the case.

Swamy, the complainant in the matter, said that sufficient grounds for summoning these documents were mentioned in June 26, 2014 order.
The court heard his contentions on summoning the balance sheet, receipts, income and expenditure statements for the assessment years 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 of the INC, Associated Journals Pvt Ltd (AJL) and Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YI).
Swamy had accused Sonia, Rahul and others of allegedly conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by just paying Rs 50 lakh by which YI obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore which the AJL had owed to the Congress party.

On February 20, the court had directed that some documents summoned from the Ministries of Finance, Urban Development and Corporate Affairs, Income Tax Department and other agencies in the case would be kept in a sealed cover till further orders, after noting that Delhi High Court was seized of the matter.

The direction had come after the accused in the case had argued that Swamy should first satisfy the court about the relevance of the documents which were ordered to be summoned.
The court had on December 19, 2015, granted bail to Sonia, Rahul, Vora, Fernandes and Dubey, who had appeared before it pursuant to the summons issued earlier. Pitroda was granted bail on February 20 when he had appeared in the court.
The Supreme Court had earlier granted exemption to Gandhis from personal appearance in the trial court.
Sonia, Rahul, Vora (AICC Treasurer), Fernandes (AICC General Secretary), Dubey and Pitroda were summoned for alleged offences under section 403 (dishonest misappropriation of property), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420(cheating) read with section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.