In a bold move, the Delhi High court rejected the appeals of the scions of Nehru Gandhi dynasty, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. In one of the cases related to the infamous National Herald Scam, the company Associated Journals Limited, registered in their name, has been asked to evict the illegally occupied property related to the National Herald case.
Following an appeal against the single judge’s decision to vacate the Herald House building within two weeks, a two-judge bench of the Delhi High Court has rejected the appeal as filed by Associated Journals Limited. They have to evict the building as declared under the previous decision.
To quote the judge’s observation, “AJL had been “hijacked” by Young India (YI), in which Congress president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chief Sonia Gandhi are shareholders. By a transfer of 99 per cent of AJL shares to YI, the beneficial interest of the publisher’s property worth Rs 413.40 crore stood “clandestinely” transferred to YI.”
For those unaware, the National Herald scam is the case wherein Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, the two bigwigs were accused of hoarding disproportionate assets and embezzling millions in the name of running the Associated Journals Limited, which published the Congress mouthpiece, ‘National Herald’, defunct for a while before being relaunched post 2016.
The case was filed by nationalist politician cum lawyer, Dr. Subramanian Swamy. It was this very case that triggered an outcry amongst the Congress politicians, which unfortunately stalled the parliamentary proceedings in late 2015, delaying the implementation of the much needed GST for another year.
During the proceedings of the case, Congress politician and lawyer, Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued that ‘the transfer of the company’s majority shares to YI won’t make Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi owners of the Herald building.’
He also added, “The central government did not raise the issue of a lack of printing activity at the Herald building before June 2018, by when publishing of some of its online editions had already begun.”
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who represented the incumbent government, strongly objected to the same, and appealed to the judge to ‘pierce the corporate veil and reveal the true ownership of the AJL.’ He also said that the “It contended that the land in question was allocated to AJL on lease for a printing press, and that this “dominant purpose” was stopped several years ago.”
To be honest, this decision has come at an opportune moment, when the Congress was planning to breach every extent possible in order to bring down the Modi government, based on their web of lies. However, with back to back setbacks, including this decision by the honorable Delhi High Court, it looks like the tables have completely turned for the Grand Old Party.
