New Delhi, 26 June, 2014

The Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Delhi today issued summons to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi and asked them to be present during the next hearing on August 7 in an alleged case of land grabbing of National Herald properties and assets. BJP leader Dr. Subramanian Swamy is petitioner in this case.

Metropolitian magistrate Gomati Manocha, while issuing the summons, said: “I have found prima facie evidence against all the accused. The court has directed them to appear before it on August 7.”

Apart from Sonia and Rahul, the court also issued summons to five other Congress leaders including Oscar Fernandes, Motilal Vora and Sam Pitroda.

Speaking to reporters after the court issued summons, Swamy said that Sonia and Rahul Gandhi’s signatures prove their involvement in the National Herald case.

Swamy said the case involves Rs 2000 crore worth of property belonging to the National Herald, which was grabbed by Congress leaders using fraudulent papers.

He claimed that the party had even sanctioned Rs 90 crore loan to the newspaper.

This is a case of fraud and breach of trust, and the duo can be sentenced to anywhere between seven years and life term, the BJP leader said.

Earlier, the court had summoned officials of the Registrar of Companies (RoC) to testify the records in connection with the controversial acquisition of the newspaper. The official had announced that all the documents provided by Swamy in the case had been found authentic.

In his plea, Swamy had accused Gandhi and her son of taking over the newspaper publishing company by floating a new private company using the Congress’s funds. National Herald newspaper publishing company, the Associated Journal Ltd which was established during the freedom struggle movement, was taken over by a newly-floated company, Young Indian, in 2010.