New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued summons to Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi and former president Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case. ED sources have told the media that Rahul Gandhi has been summoned on June 2 while Sonia Gandhi has been summoned for questioning on June 8. At the same time, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala and Abhishek Manu Singhvi told that Sonia Gandhi will go to the ED's office for questioning on June 8. However, Rahul Gandhi is abroad. In such a situation, time will be sought from ED.
According to the ED, this is the first summons in this case. The statements of Congress leaders who were office-bearers in National Herald and AJL have already been recorded in this case. According to sources, Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi will be questioned in connection with the alleged illegal properties acquired by AJL.
What is the National Herald Case?
BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy filed a petition in the trial court in 2012 alleging that some Congress leaders had wrongly acquired Associated Journals Ltd through Young Indian Ltd (YIL). He alleged that all this was done to capture the Rs 2000 crore building of Herald House located on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg in Delhi. Under the conspiracy, Young Indian Limited has been given the right of property of TJL.
Let us inform that the first PM Jawaharlal Nehru along with the freedom fighters established the National Herald in 1938. Associates Journals Limited (AJL) is a proprietary company of the National Herald newspaper. After which the Congress took over its liabilities of Rs 90 crore on 26 February 2011. This simply means that Congress had given it a loan of 90 crores. After this, Young Indian Company was established with Rs 5 lakh, in which Sonia and Rahul have 38-38 per cent partnership. The remaining 24 per cent share was with Congress leaders Motilal Vora and Oscar Fernandez (both now deceased).
Thereafter, nine crore shares of TJL worth Rs 10 each were given to the 'Young Indian' and in return the Young Indian had to pay the Congress debt. Young Indian got 99 per cent shares of this company with 9 crore shares. After this the Congress party also waived the loan of 90 crores. That is, the 'Young Indian' got the ownership of TJL for free.
Rahul-Sonia on bail
Let us tell you that in 2015, the Supreme Court had asked Swamy to file a petition in the High Court for speedy hearing in this matter. On 19 December 2015, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were granted bail by the trial court. In 2016, the top court refused to quash the case and exempted all the five accused—Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes and Suman Dubey—from appearing in court.
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