Sushree Mohanty
Delhi High Court gave a notification to Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Subramaniam Swamy contesting the trial court’s request with respect to the production of several records and witnesses.
Justice Suresh Kumar Kait likewise, issued notice to all respondents and passed a stay order on the further questioning of Subramanian Swamy and posted the matter for further hearing to April 12, 2021.
Besides Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Justice Suresh Kait has directed the All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda and journal Young India to file their response in the matter within 12 April 2021.
In the initial proceedings, the Trial Court had said that Subramanian Swamy’s application will be considered only after the submission of evidence from the complainant’s side is finished.
Swamy, in his application, had claimed that the case is a quintessential instance requiring proof on records and documents and accordingly these records should be examined and proved through the witness statements.
“Due to the reason being that there are numerous reports that have been attached to the main examination file of the complainant, that are public records, and therefore have been marked; the corresponding files are the certified duplicates of these public archives. By reason of them being marked documents, it shall be proved through the declaration of the fitting witnesses,” the application additionally stated.
Through the application, Swamy requested to pass summoning orders on Secretary-General Sanjeev S Kalgaonar (Registry official) Supreme Court of India, Rajnish Kumar Jha (Deputy Land and Development official), Saket Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax Circle-1, Congress official who gave a press interview on November 2, 2012, and Journalist J Gopi Krishnan.
RS Cheema, the Advocate representing Sonia and Rahul Gandhi had before partly interrogated Subramanian Swamy in the matter.
The National Herald case, which was registered by Swamy, is being heard by a special court in Delhi’s Rouse Avenue against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and other related people.
As per Swamy’s contention, Associated Journals Limited (AJL) had taken a credit loan without interest from the Indian National Congress. The loan is of Rs 90.25 crores.
It is claimed that the loan was not reimbursed or paid. Swamy had registered the case in 2012 alleging that Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and others tried to avoid repaying the said loan by conniving to cheat and misuse the funds.
He additionally said that the Congress party allowed a zero-interest loan of Rs 90.25 crores to Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the proprietor of the National Herald Newspaper.