Herald case: Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi get relief from High Court

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday stayed until August 13 the summons issued by a city court against Congress president Sonia Gandhi, vice president Rahul Gandhi and four others in the National Herald case.

The mother-son duo as well as the others are accused of misappropriation and criminal breach of trust in allegedly using party funds to acquire the ownership of the now-defunct National Herald newspaper. Metropolitan Magistrate Gomati Monacha had directed them as well as Congress treasurer Motilal Vora, general secretary Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda to appear before her court on August 7 on the case filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy.

The magistrate had said that there was “prima facie” evidence against them of “acting in collusion” to take over the funds and properties of National Herald publisher Associated Journals Ltd.

The National Herald, established by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1938, shut shop in 2008. It was taken over in 2010 by Young Indian which became the largest shareholder of Associated Journals. Opening Sonia Gandhi’s defence on the charges, former law minister Kapil Sibal contested the summons order as wrong both in law and in fact. He said except Swamy there was no complainant in the case.