New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday moved Supreme Court challenging the Delhi High Court order which rejected their plea to quash the ongoing criminal proceedings against them in the National Herald assets misappropriation case.
According to media reports, the Congress leaders have filed a Special Leave Petition in the apex court.
Gandhis are seeking the expunction of high court’s remarks that were perceived to be prejudicial to them and had the potential to influence the trial court against them.
Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who is also the complainant in the case, has filed a caveat urging the apex court not to pass any interim order in favour of Gandhis without hearing him in the case.
According to Swamy’s complaint, the fraud amounts to Rs 5,000 crore at current prices.
On June 26, last year, the trial court issued summons to them on Swamy’s allegations of “cheating” in the acquisition of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) by Young India Ltd (YIL) — a firm in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi own 38 per cent stakes each.
Swamy had claimed that the Gandhis, as majority shareholders of YIL, benefited from the acquisition of AJL. He also alleged that AJL had received an interest-free loan of Rs 90.25 crore from the Congress and that the party transferred the debt to YIL for Rs 50 lakh. At the time, AJL, which had Congress treasurer Motilal Vohra as its chairman, claimed that it could not repay the loan and agreed to transfer the company and its assets to YIL.
On December 10, 2015, the Delhi High Court had rejected their plea and directed them to appear before the trial court. On December 19 last year Gandhis and other Congress leaders, as accused, had appeared before the trial court.
PTI