NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Thursday extended the stay on trial court proceedings in the National Herald case involving Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and others.
Justice Vikas Mahajan scheduled the next hearing for July 28, directing the parties to file their written submissions on a plea by former BJP MP Subramanian Swamy.
Swamy, who has been spearheading the case against the Gandhis, is seeking permission to present additional evidence before the trial court.
His plea, opposed by the defense, has put the case back in the spotlight, rekindling a decade-old legal battle that has significant political implications.
During the hearing, Swamy argued that there should be no stay on the investigation in the case, emphasising the need for further scrutiny of financial transactions involving Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YI) and Associate Journals Ltd (AJL), the company that owns the National Herald newspaper.
He alleged that the Congress leadership conspired to misappropriate funds, acquiring the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore owed by AJL to the party by paying a mere Rs 50 lakh through YI.
Senior advocate R.S. Cheema, representing Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, countered the argument by stating that the case arose from a private complaint and was never an investigative matter in the first place. Cheema, along with advocate Tarannum Cheema, sought additional time to file written submissions opposing Swamy’s plea. The National Herald case has remained a politically sensitive issue since 2012, with Swamy alleging that top Congress leaders misused party funds for personal gain.
The case took a legal turn in 2014 when the trial court summoned Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, then-AICC treasurer Motilal Vora, AICC general secretary Oscar Fernandes, journalist Suman Dubey, and technocrat Sam Pitroda for alleged misappropriation of property, criminal breach of trust, and cheating under the IPC.
While proceedings against Vora abated after his death, Swamy has continued his legal challenge against the remaining accused. His latest plea seeks the summoning of key witnesses, including the Secretary General (Registry Officer) of the Supreme Court, a Deputy Land and Development Officer, and a Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax, to authenticate crucial documents related to the case.