Setback for Congress: Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi to appear before trial court in National Herald case

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to stay a summons order passed against Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and her son and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, asking them to be present on Tuesday in a lower court in connection with the National Herald case.

They are likely to move the Supreme Court urgently to get a stay on the order. Otherwise, the Gandhis and a host of senior Congress leaders such as Suman Dubey, Motilal Vora and Oscar Fernandes and close aide Sam Pitroda will have to appear before a lower court and seek exemption from that court.

Judge Sunil Gaur refused to grant the Gandhis exemption from appearance. They would have, in that case, been represented by their lawyers. The judge also refused to extend a stay on the summons granted earlier, rejecting a plea by senior advocate Haren P Raval for the relief.

The order came on a petition filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy accusing the Gandhis of grabbing the properties owned by National Herald by buying over its publishers through an outfit in which the Gandhis hold 86% stake.

The order is not only a setback to the Opposition Congress but may also disrupt the winter session of Parliament.