In another turn of events in the National Herald case, the Urban Development Ministry has moved to take over the Herald House, the headquarters of Associated Journals limited (AJl), the publisher of the defunct National Herald newspaper. The Ministry has issued notice to AJl in this regard.
House and the premises allotted to it in Press Enclave in ITO, Delhi, were not being used for the publication of newspaper for the past 10 years, which is a violation of the allotment rules. According to highly placed sources in the Urban Development Ministry, the probe team had two months ago inspected the premises of Herald House and found that there was no newspaper publishing activity there.
The plot for Herald House was allotted at a very subsidised rate for publication of newspaper by the AJl, just as it was allotted to other media organisations in the Press Enclave area. As per the lease agreement with the Government, the AJl was expected to return the place as an when it stopped newspaper publication.
Sources said one more hearing will be provided to the AJl as per the notice issued a few days ago following which the Government will appoint a receiver to take over the building.
The Urban Development Ministry has been acting on a complaint filed by the main petitioner and BJP leader Subramanian Swamy. According to sources, as the Ministry has received several complaints of similar violations in many other buildings in the Press Enclave Area, probe teams would be asked to conduct a spot inspection and collect details of the “illegal” holders of the premises in the garb of newspaper publication.
“Except a few, many buildings in the Press Enclave Area have violated the allotment rules and are thus subject to takeover by the Government as there is no newspaper publication activity,” said sources.
In December 2017, the Income Tax Department had imposed a fine of Rs 250 crore on the Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi-controlled firm Young India, which took over AJl through a “covert and fraudulent” way. The Delhi High Court ordered Young Indian to deposit Rs 10 crore for entertaining its appeal against the Income Tax fine order.
In the trial court, the National Herald case is now in the process of submission of evidences by the petitioner Subramanian Swamy, who started his deposition on July 15. The next hearing of the date is scheduled for August 25. The accused Congress leaders in the case have filed a petition in the court for restraining Swamy from tweeting about the case details and defaming them.