National Herald case: ‘Summons issued to Sonia, Rahul illegal’

A trial court had earlier issued summons to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Congress treasurer Motilal Vora, General Secretary Oscar Fernandes and Suman Dubey

Claiming that “no one had complained” when the Congress party decided to loan funds to Young India, party president Sonia Gandhi’s counsel Kapil Sibal told the Delhi High Court on Tuesday that the summons issued against her, party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and three others by a local court were “illegal.”

A trial court had earlier issued summons to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Congress treasurer Motilal Vora, General Secretary Oscar Fernandes and Suman Dubey on a complaint filed by BJP leader Subramaniam Swamy, alleging “fraud and cheating” in the acquisition of Associated Journals Limited, which publishes the National Herald newspaper, by Young India Limited.

“A Section 25 company named Young India was floated with the aim of charity and it is a no-profit-or-loss company and Congress party had decided to give Rs 90 crore to Young India as loan,” argued Sibal, adding that it was “not illegal” for a political party to give loans. Swamy on the other hand, told the court that “only seven out of 761 shareholders had been present,” at the meeting where the decision to grant the loan had been taken in 2011.

Source:: Indian Express