Never spoke to Modi about National Herald case: Swamy

The Congress party leaders, scions of India’s famous Gandhi-Nehru dynasty, arrived at the Patiala trial court waving to their supporters as hundreds of police and paramilitaries stood guard outside. The court has fixed February 20 as the next date of hearing. Sonia Gandhi, the Congress party’s president, and her son, the party’s vice president, were granted bail of 50,000 rupees ($754), Kapil Sibal, a Congress lawmaker and lawyer, told reporters.

Senior Congress leader and former CLP leader in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Sunil Jakhar today said that the Bhartiya Janata Party government at the centre was resorting to political terrorism in an attempt to stifle the voice of dissent and the voice of opposition. Court didn’t agree. Except for Sam Pitroda, everyone was granted bail.

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad calling Swamy a “mask” for Modi, and said the BJP functionary has been awarded with a bungalow for dragging Congress leadership to court even though he was not a Parliamentarian or government official.

“I want to tell the people of the country that neither I nor the Congress would bow down before him, ” Mr Rahul Gandhi said.

“It is most unfortunate that Swamy sought to impose conditions including restrictions on travel overseas but the court granted unconditional bail”, Singhvi said.

The National Herald was set up in 1938 by India’s first prime minister and Rahul Gandhi’s great-grandfather, Jawaharlal Nehru.

Swamy had lodged a private criminal complaint against the mother and son for cheating, conspiracy and criminal breach of trust. The paper which was run by the Associated Journals, was ordered by Ms Gandhi to be closes in 2009.

The top two Congress leaders appeared at 3 pm before Metropolitan Magistrate Loveleen in the Patiala House courts in the case filed by Swamy.

They fiercely deny Swamy’s allegations, which they say are evidence of a Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led campaign against their embattled party, struggling since a bitter electoral defeat past year.

Manmohan Singh said: “We will fight and we will give determined fight because of certain values, certain ideas and certain ideals, and nobody can reject the Congress party from that part”. Co-accused Sam Pitroda got exemption from personal appearance on medical grounds.

The Congress leaders on July 30, 2014 moved the high court, which stayed the summons.

The Delhi High Court this month dismissed a plea of the Gandhis to quash the summons issued to them for personal appearance by a trial court in the case.

With no formal charges being filed yet, it is not clear how much jail time, if any, the Gandhis and the others involved in the case could face.