Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy told a Delhi court that a Rs 414 crore fine was recently imposed on Young Indian Pvt. Ltd. by the income tax department in connection to the National Herald case filed by him against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others.
Swamy submitted before Metropolitan Magistrate Ambika Singh that the tax department launched a probe against the Gandhis, Young Indian, and four other accused after taking note of his complaint in the case. The court directed that the tax department documents submitted by Swamy be kept in a sealed cover till further orders.
Swamy, in a private criminal complaint, has accused the Gandhis and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by paying just Rs 50 lakh, through which Young India obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore which Associate Journals Ltd. owed to the Congress.
“The I-T department took notice of the facts in my complaint and launched an investigation against the seven accused. Rs 414 crore fine was imposed on Young India for withholding information,” Swamy said in the court. He said that he found the documents related to the I-T department’s Dec. 27, 2017 order lying along with newspapers at his doorstep recently.
“In the petition challenging the Delhi High Court decision by which an appeal against the trial court order summoning the accused was dismissed, she (Sonia Gandhi) herself had filed these documents. Now they cannot say they will not admit or deny these papers,” Swamy contended.
The Gandhis and the other accused—senior party leaders Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda— have denied the allegations levelled against them in the case.
Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Vora (AICC treasurer), Fernandes (AICC general secretary), Dubey and Pitroda were summoned for the alleged offences of misappropriation of property, criminal breach of trust and cheating, read with criminal conspiracy of the Indian Penal Code.
The court posted the matter for further hearing on March 27.