Sonia, Rahul granted bail

The mother-son duo made a rare appearance in a dingy Delhi courtroom to answer summons in the lawsuit brought by a member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party.

Senior lawyers such as Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared for the Gandhis during their 15-minute appearance in court. The Magistrate said the Congress leaders enjoyed responsible position in the society and were public functionaries, so no restrictions were required.

The accused face allegations that they illegally acquired property value Rs 5,000 crore belonging to the National Herald newspaper. BJP’s response that the accused were not “freedom fighters” as well as central minister Prakash Javadekar’s counter-punch that “Sonia and Rahul have only got bail not medal” meant that this battle could define much of 2016. Ghulam Nabi Azad stood surety for Oscar Fernandes, Ajay Maken for Motilal Vora and Mallikarjun Kharge for Suman Dubey.

Former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit said, “Not a show of strength, we are concerned and anxious about the leadership, that’s all. Neither I nor the Congress party will succumb even an inch”, Rahul Gandhi said after the proceedings.

In towns cities such as Jaipur, Nagpur, Bengaluru and Varanasi, Congress party workers organised protests against the case and the government. “I have no doubt that the truth will come out”, Sonia Gandhi said in an address to the media and assembled partymen.

“I went (to court) with a clean heart like any law-abiding citizen”.

Mr. Gandhi also began by saying that he and the Congress party respected the law. Modiji is making a false allegation and thinks the opposition will bend.

“I tell Congress, that is why your name is spoiled… you are losing this case, that is why you are doing all this”.

Party leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said all legal options were open to the party, including applying for bail. “There is always a fight against corruption but this is the first time in the country’s history that we can see this fight for corruption, that too in a very shameful manner”. “No one can eject us from that path”.

Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in the Patiala House court in connection with the National Herald case.

“This is a political fight against the political vendetta of the BJP”. “They said they will not take bail”.

Known for his wit and one-upmanship, Swamy tried to turn the tide against the Gandhis once again, who he claimed would be behind bars after the next hearing once he leads the evidence before the court.

Sonia and Rahul were summoned by the Court after a criminal complaint by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy for alleged cheating and misappropriation of funds by them in acquiring ownership of now-defunct daily National Herald. Sonia Gandhi’s statement that “these people have been trying for long to target us” and that “none of us will be scared” underlined Congress’s message about vendetta politics. The newspaper shut down in 2008 and the company that ran it, Associated Journals Limited, was converted into a real estate firm.