Sonia Gandhi And Rahul To Appear In Court In National Herald Case Today

New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi will appear in a trial court in Delhi in the National Herald case today. The two are among six people - including other top Congress leaders and Gandhi family associates - accused by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, of trying to illegally acquire real estate worth thousands of crores belonging to the now defunct newspaper National Herald.

The two will appear before the trial court at the Patiala House Courts at 3 pm, Congress sources said. Party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, "We are open to availing all legal remedies and options including (seeking) bail."

Before their appearance, party leaders and lawmakers will converge at the Congress headquarters, 24 Akbar Road, in a show of strength. After the court appearance, Mrs Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are likely to head to the party headquarters and address the media.
 Mr Swamy had filed the case in a local court in 2012, one year before he joined the BJP. The court had in 2014 issued summons to the Gandhis and others which they challenged in the Delhi High Court. Earlier this month, the High Court refused to stay the summons.

The High Court's decision saw the Congress party and its brass accuse the BJP of political vendetta. Mr Gandhi had told journalists on December 9 that the case was "100 per cent political vendetta coming out of the Prime Minister's Office."

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A combative Mrs Gandhi had told NDTV, "I am Indira Gandhi's daughter-in-law, I am not afraid of anyone or anything."

The BJP on its part insisted that Mr Swamy had filed the case before he joined the party and that the party or the government it heads has nothing to do with the judicial process.

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Finance Minister and eminent lawyer Arun Jaitley wrote in a Facebook post that Mr Swamy had "initiated the process of law" as a private citizen. "No one is above the law," he wrote. In an interview to NDTV on Monday, he had said Mrs Gandhi's statement "reeked of political entitlement."