Today, On 22nd July, The Delhi High Court asked Subramanian Swamy, Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi to submit a written note on their arguments in the National Herald case. Justice Neena Bansal Krishna directed them to file this note within four weeks. Any written submissions made after this period will incur a cost of Rs 15,000.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court instructed BJP MP Subramanian Swamy and Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to file a concise note regarding their submissions in the National Herald case.
Justice Neena Bansal Krishna ordered them to submit their written arguments within four weeks. Beyond this period, any further written submissions will incur a cost of Rs 15,000.
The court scheduled the case for arguments on October 29.
This directive came as the high court considering a plea from Swamy, who seeking to present evidence before the trial court in the National Herald case, where the Gandhis and others face accusations.
On February 22, 2021, the court issued notices to the Gandhis, the late AICC general secretary Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda, and Young India (YI). The court sought their response to Swamy’s plea and temporarily halted proceedings in the case.
On Monday, the court confirmed that the interim stay order would remain in effect until the next hearing.
Senior advocates R S Cheema and Tarannum Cheema represented the Congress leaders in court.
Swamy appealed to the high court against a February 11, 2021, trial court decision that rejected his request to present evidence against the Gandhis and other accused. The trial court indicated that Swamy’s application under section 244 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to lead evidence would be reviewed after his examination in the case concluded.
Swamy seeking to summon specific witnesses, including the secretary general (registry officer) of the Supreme Court, a deputy land and development officer, and a deputy commissioner of the income-tax department. He also requested that these officials be directed to authenticate certain documents pertinent to the case.
In his private criminal complaint before the trial court, Swamy accused the Gandhis and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by paying only Rs 50 lakh. This payment allowed Young Indian Private Limited (YI) to acquire the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that Associate Journals Limited, the publisher of the “National Herald” newspaper, owed to the Congress.
All seven accused in the case the Gandhis, AICC treasurer Motilal Vora, Fernandes, Dubey, Pitroda, and Young India (YI) denied the allegations.
Following Vora’s death, the proceedings against him were terminated, while the other accused were summoned by the trial court in 2014 on charges of property misappropriation, criminal breach of trust, and cheating.
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