Congress welcomes Supreme Court's decision to hear plea

By: Anshuman Kumar

NEW DELHI: The Congress welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to hear the special leave petition filed by senior party leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Oscar Fernandes challenging the dismissal by the Delhi High Court of their plea against the reopening of their income tax assessment for the financial year 2011-12 in the National Herald case.

“The court also said that no further proceedings shall take place till the matter is in Supreme Court which was orally agreed upon by the government counsel,” Congress spokesman Manish Tewari said on Wednesday, terming the court’s decision a relief measure. A day earlier, the court had fixed December 4 as the date for the final hearing of the petition filed by the Congress leaders. The court also said that no assessment shall take place till it decides the matter.


The earlier plea filed by the Congress leaders was dismissed by the Delhi High Court on September 10. The IT assessment is related to the National herald case where these leaders are facing criminal charges. While hearing the matter on Tuesday, the Supreme Court bench offered two options – first to stay the assessment and serve a notice to the income tax department, and second to fix an early date for final hearing. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the income tax department expressed his preference for the second option.