New Delhi: In all likelihood, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi will not appear before Delhi High Court on Tuesday in connection with the National Herald case.
Rahul Gandhi has already left for Puducherry on Tuesday morning to visit the flood-hit areas. Also, after concluding his Puducherry tour, he is set to visit rain-battered Chennai.
Will visit flood affected areas in Tamil Nadu & Puducherry tomorrow, Tuesday 8th Dec
— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 7, 2015
Also, the Gandhis' counsels are likely to file a petition challenging the High Court's order in the Supreme Court on Tuesday, so as to get reprieve in the case in terms of appearance at the court.
Earlier, on Monday, in a major setback to Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, Delhi HC Justice Sunil Gaur turned down the plea of the mother-son duo and five others for exemption from personal appearance in the case in the trial court, where it is listed on Tuesday.
Justice Gaur made scathing observations on the "questionable conduct" regarding how they took control of the publication.
Along with the Gandhis, five other accused--Suman Dubey, Moti Lal Vohra, Oscar Fernandez, Sam Pitroda and Young India Ltd - had challenged the summons issued to them by a trial court on a complaint by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy against them for alleged cheating and misappropriation of funds in taking control of the now-defunct daily.
On June 26, the trial court issued summons to the Congress leaders on Swamy's complaint about "cheating" in the acquisition of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) by Young India Ltd. (YIL) - "a firm in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi each own a 38 percent stake".
The BJP leader had claimed that Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, as majority shareholders of YIL, benefited from the acquisition of AJL. He 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 Vora as its chairman, claimed that it could not repay the loan and agreed to transfer the company and its assets to YIL.
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