National Herald case: HC to hear plea of Sonia, Rahul Nov 3

 The Delhi High Court Wednesday posted the plea of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, vice-president Rahul Gandhi and other party leaders in a case relating to the acquisition of the National Herald daily for final hearing Nov 3.

Justice V.P. Vaish said he will begin the hearing of the case on day-to-day basis Nov 3. Apart from the Gandhis, Congress treasurer Moti lal Vohra, family friend Suman Dubey, and Oscar Fernandes had moved the high court and sought to quash the summons issued to them by a trial court on a complaint by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy.

Meanwhile, the stay granted by the high court on the criminal proceedings in a trial court here will continue till next date of hearing. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy claimed that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, as majority shareholders of Young Indian ltd. (YIl), benefited from the acquisition of Associated Journals ltd. (AJl).

On June 26, the trial court issued summons to the Congress leaders on a complaint by Swamy alleging "cheating" in the acquisition of AJl, the publisher of the now defunct National Herald newspaper, by YIl - "a firm in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi each own a 38-percent stake". Filing the plea, the Congress leaders said Swamy was a political opponent and the present criminal proceedings were initiated only with an intent to secure an oblique political objective.