Sonia, Rahul to face I-T proceedings

The Delhi High Court on Friday declined to stay the income tax proceedings against Young Indian Pvt Ltd in the National Herald case, which involves, Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, and asked them to approach the tax authorities.

"We are not inclined to entertain your writ petition. It is better you withdraw it and approach the income tax assessing officer," a bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Chander Shekhar said.

It also said that the company has not moved the assessing officer raising its grievances, so it should first approach the IT department and submit its documents.

In case it is still not satisfied, the company can move the court thereafter, the bench added.

Sensing the mood of the bench, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the firm, withdrew the petition which was allowed by the court that termed it "dismissed as withdrawn".

Young Indian (YI) had approached the high court seeking a direction to stay the IT proceedings and quashing of re- assessment notices issued against it with regard to the National Herald misappropriation of assets case. The company was issued notices regarding the assessment year 2011-12.

The counsel for the Income Tax Department opposed the petition, saying the firm has not moved the assessing officer and hence its plea was not maintainable.

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, in a private criminal complaint, had accused the Gandhis and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by paying just Rs 50 lakh, through which YI had obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore which the Associate Journals Limited (AJL) owed to the Congress party.

The Gandhis and other accused -Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda -have denied the allegations levelled against them.

The trial court had summoned them as accused persons, besides Young India on June 26, 2014. On December 7, 2015, the high court had rejected their pleas for quashing the summons issued against them by the trial court in the case.

On December 19, 2015, it had granted bail to Sonia, Rahul, Vora, Fernandes and Dubey, who had appeared before it pursuant to the summons. Pitroda was granted bail on February 20, 2016, when he had appeared in the court.