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Gandhis forced to appear in court over corruption charges
As it turned out, during the short time that they were in the room, Sonia and Rahul kept facing the judge and did not make eye contact with anybody else, not even with Priyanka or the senior Congress leaders in attendance.
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Congress MLA V.S. Rathore however represented Sam Pitroda in the court today. “The Gandhis as well as the Congress party are getting encircled and that has put them on a defensive”, said Abhay Kumar Dubey, a New Delhi-based political analyst associated with the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies. The next court date was set for February 20. They had to navigate through jostling lawyers, journalists, security men and party workers to reach their cars.
The partymen shouted slogans against the NDA government accusing them of framing Congress leaders to harass them and targeting Sonia and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case. “We would not sit idle and let them get away with their dark deeds”, he said. The anticipatory bail they secured enables them to avoid judicial custody while the case is being heard. “They will not succeed”, she asserted. Metropolitan Magistrate Loveleen was thereafter informed by his staff about the arrival of the Gandhis and other accused. After being granted bail, the Gandhis came out of the court room along with their advocates Kapil Sibal, Ramesh Gupta and Congress leaders.
Pin-drop silence. Rahul and Sonia look tense.
Saturday’s hearing at a New Delhi district court, the first legal step stemming from Swamy’s allegations, was swift. Referring to the case filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, Sonia Gandhi said that she was totally aware of the intention of the people behind the case. “On National Herald I have never spoken to the PM”, the BJP leader added. I am a Jan Sanghi.
In a show of bravado, mother and son declared they would not be cowed down by attacks and were ready to fight it out.
A trial court had on June 26 a year ago issued summons to the Congress leaders on Mr Swamy’s compliant about “cheating” in the acquisition of AJL by Young India Ltd, a firm in which the two Gandhis had each a 38 per cent share.
Former Defence Minister AK Anthony stood surety for Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra for her brother Rahul.
Swamy again urged the court to at least direct them to inform it before travelling overseas.
BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao, meanwhile, said that initially the Congress party’s attempt was to build pressure and give an opinion to the people that this was some kind of administrative action or political vendetta by rivals.
“Whether it is cheating, criminal misappropriation or criminal breach of trust is not required to be spelt out at this nascent stage”. It said that the truth will prevail in the ongoing National Herald case also. “We can not be cowed down by such heinous conspiracy to throw slur on their fair faces”, said the State party chief Kishore Upadhyay.
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The Gandhis belong to the Gandhi-Nehru clan that has given India three prime ministers and is considered India’s top political dynasty.