In the National Herald case, Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi today got bail relief from court after it rejected complainant Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy's plea that said they can flee the country. Rahul Gandhi and a smiling Sonia Gandhi emerged out of the court after 15 minutes of proceedings. Congress leaders were accompanied by a battery of top lawyers and also in attendance were former PM Manmohan Singh and Priyanka Gandhi. (Reuters)
1. National Herald case: Priyanka Gandhi and Former PM Manmohan Singh provided Rs 50,000 surety for both Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi respectively. (PTI)
2. National Herald case: BJP's Subramanian Swamy said all their claims that the Gandhis would not seek bail proved false. "They said they will not take bail. What happened now," he told reporters. Swamy had accused Sonia and Rahul Gandhi and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by just paying Rs 50 lakh by which Young Indians obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore which the Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), the publisher of National Herald, had owed to the Congress party. Swamy has accused Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi of cheating and misappropriation of funds in acquiring ownership of the now-defunct daily National Herald. (PTI)
3. National Herald case: "The accused are reputed persons having deep political grassroots and there is no apprehension that they will flee," the Magistrate noted while granting Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi bail on furnishing personal bond of Rs 50,000 each and one surety. He posted the case for next hearing at 2 PM on February 20, next year. (PTI)
4. National Herald case: However, the relief for both Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi was partial as, the Magistrate made it clear that no exemption from personal appearance will be granted to any accused for the next date of hearing. (PTI)
5. National Herald case: Amidst media hype and hoopla and tight security, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and three other accused Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes and Suman Dubey appeared before Metropolitan Magistrate Lovleen in the Patiala House courts complex in the heart of the capital in pursuance of the summons issued to them on Dec 8. (PTI)
6. National Herald case: Manmohan Singh and a host of Congress leaders including Mallikarjun Kharge, Ambika Soni, Shiela Dikshit, Ashwini Kumar, Meira Kumar arrived at the court complex shortly before the hearing was to commence at 3 PM. (PTI)
7. National Herald case: As the proceedings began Swamy opposed the bail saying the accused including Sonia and Rahul are "highly influential" people and can flee the country and that their passports should be seized and travel restrictions be imposed on them. (PTI)
8. National Herald case: A battery of Congress lawyers including Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Singhvi told the court that these are people who have deep roots in society and they hold high office and do not have any previous charge against them. Both Sibal and Singhvi told reporters after the proceedings that the court rejected Swamy's plea and gave bail to the leaders. "It is most unfortunate that Swamy sought to impose conditions including restrictions on travel abroad but the court granted unconditional bail," Singhvi said. (PTI)
9. National Herald case: Rejecting Congress criticism that he was doing vendetta politics at the behest of BJP, Swamy said look at the evidence in the case and not vendetta. "I have so many friends (in the BJP). I am a Jan Sanghi. I know them (BJP leaders) personally. I have not taken an appointment with the prime minister and spoken to him at all about the case," he told reporters. (PTI)
10. National Herald case: Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Vora (AICC Treasurer), Fernandes (AICC General Secretary), Dubey and Pitroda were summoned under sections 403 (dishonest misappropriation of property), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) read with section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC. All of them were directors of Young Indian Ltd (YI), a company that was incorporated in 2010 and which took over the "debt" of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), the publisher of National Herald. (PTI)
