New Delhi, March 24 (IANS) Congress president Sonia Gandhi told the Delhi High Court on Tuesday that the summons issued against her by the trial court in connection with the acquisition of the Associated Journals Ltd. (AJL) by the Young Indian Ltd. (YIL) was illegal.
Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Gandhi, sought to quash the proceedings initiated by a lower court here against her, party vice president Rahul Gandhi and four others.
Sibal told Justice Sunil Gaur that not a single person was cheated during the acquisition of the AJL, the publisher of the now defunct National Herald newspaper, by the YIL.
Sibal said the trial court order summoning Gandhi was "full of illegality".
He said that due to the emotional attachment with the AJL, as it was supported by Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi during the Quit India movement, the Congress helped it by issuing loans amounting to Rs.90 crore over a period of 50 years.
He said there was no illegality in the YIL taking over the AJL as per the Companies Act.
Apart from the Gandhis, Congress treasurer Moti Lal Vora, family friend Suman Dubey, and Oscar Fernandes had moved the high court, seeking to quash the summons issued to them by a trial court on a complaint by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy.
The high court had suspended the criminal proceedings in a trial court.
Swamy claimed that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, as majority shareholders of the YIL, benefited from the acquisition of the AJL.
Swamy also alleged that the AJL had received an interest-free loan of Rs.90.25 crore from the Congress and that the party transferred the debt to the YIL for Rs.50 lakh.
At the time, the 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 the YIL.
The trial court on June 26, 2014, issued summons to the Congress leaders on a complaint by Swamy, who alleged cheating in the acquisition of the AJL by the YIL - "a firm in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi each own a 38-percent stake".
Filing the plea, the Congress leaders said Swamy was a political opponent and the criminal proceedings were initiated only with an intent to secure an oblique political objective.
IND vs. AUS Weather: Team India will get the support of weather, if it wins the first ODI, India will become number 1 by defeating Pakistan.
The three-match ODI series between India and Australia is starting on Friday, 22 September. Both the teams will face each other at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. India has
Exclusive: AIIMS director Guleria said - Vaccine will get approval later this month or early in the new year
New Delhi: The country is going to get the gift of the Corona vaccine soon. Meanwhile, ABP News had a special conversation with Delhi AIIMS director Randeep Guleria. Dr. Randeep Guleria says that 100
Construction and infrastructure companies become pauper
The infrastructure of infrastructure sector companies in the country has been shaken. The recent peak of GVK Power & Infrastructure is the latest example of how infrastructure companies have been
Impact of Corona: World Bank fears severe economic crisis from 2007-09 recession
Regarding the economic crisis caused by the Corona virus epidemic, the World Bank said that the estimates are likely to be serious from the economic downturn of 2007-09.
Ranveer Allahbadia: After the IGL controversy, for the first time Ranveer Allahbadia told what he lost. He said- 'Time will come back...'
Ranveer Allahbadia has been facing a lot of difficulties since the objectionable controversy in 'India's Got Latent'. However, the YouTuber has resumed his podcast. He is preparing for a comeback.
IND vs SA: When India's last six wickets fell at zero, Ravi Shastri made a funny comment, no one could stop laughing.
In the first innings of the second Test against South Africa, the Indian team was all out for 153 runs. Despite a good start, Team India could not score big. At one time India's score was 153 runs for
IPL 2023: Dhoni threatens to leave the captaincy of CSK! Told the bowlers – stop throwing no ball-wide or else…
In the sixth match of IPL 2023, Chennai Super Kings defeated Lucknow Supergiants by 12 runs. Despite scoring 217 runs for seven wickets in 20 overs, the Chennai team could not win by a big margin and
Increasing Transition: Weekend lockdown in nine districts of Haryana, restrictions will remain till May 3
Because of the increasing cases of corona, the weekend lockdown has been imposed in nine districts of Haryana. These include Panchkula, Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat, Rohtak, Karnal, Hisar, Sirsa, and
Threat: Threat to blow up the school, police-administration high alert
Karnataka School Bomb threat: In Karnataka, a case of receiving a threat to blow up a school with a bomb came to light on Friday. Police had informed that a bomb threat has been received at NPS/NAFA
Delhi High Court's strict instructions to DGCA - Corona Guidelines apply in any situation in flight
Corona's growing infection in India has again drawn lines of concern. The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to adequately publicize its guidelines
