National Herald scam: Delhi HC to decide on petitions by Sonia Gandhi, Rahul today

The Delhi High Court will on Wednesday decide on the petitions filed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi in connection with National Herald case.

Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul Gandhi alongwith four others, in their petitions, had challenged the summons issued to them by a metropolitan magistrate in a criminal complaint filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy.

The High Court had earlier set October 1 as the date for the final disposal of petitions.

Swamy, in his complaint, has alleged cheating and misappropriation of funds by the Congress leaders in the acquisition of the daily by Young Indian (YI).

According to reports, Congress loaned Rs 90.25 crore to Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), the company that published National Herald and other newspapers, but instead of recovering it, the party assigned the loan to Young India, "a firm in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi each own a 38-percent stake".

Besides Sonia and Rahul, Congress treasurer Moti Lal Vora, general secretary Oscar Fernandes and Suman Dubey have moved the High Court against the trial court order summoning them in the case.

While summoning the six as accused in the case, the trial court had held that Swamy has established a prima facie case of cheating, misappropriation of funds and criminal breach of trust against them.

They were summoned under sections 403 (dishonest misappropriation of property, 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) read with section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.