Sonia, Rahul move SC in Herald case

New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday moved the Supreme Court against the summons issued to them by a trial court in Delhi in the National Herald case filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy.

The Congress leaders have also challenged a Delhi High Court order going into the merits of the case and making adverse observations.

Besides Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, the apex court has also been moved by Sam Pitroda and Suman Dubey against the high court order.

The high court had, on December 7, 2015, rejecting the plea of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi against their being summoned in the Herald case.

The high court had also dismissed the pleas by Congress treasurer Motilal Vora, Gandhi family friend Suman Dubey and party leader Oscar Fernandes against the summons issued by the trial court on June 26, 2015 on Swamy's complaint alleging "cheating" in the acquisition of Associated Journals Ltd. (AJL) by Young India Ltd. (YIL) - "a firm in which Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi each own a 38 percent stake".

Swamy had claimed that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, as majority shareholders of YIL, benefited from the acquisition of AJL.

He had alleged that AJL had received an interest-free loan of Rs.90.25 crore from the Congress and that the party transferred the debt to YIL for Rs.50 lakh.

At the time, AJL, which had Vora as its chairman, claimed that it could not repay the loan and agreed to transfer the company and its assets to YIL.

The Congress, while challenging the summons before the high court, had contended that Swamy was a political opponent and the criminal proceedings were initiated only with an intent to secure an oblique political objective. They had contended that the complaint made by Swamy against them was only "allegations without any supporting proof".

IANS