Sonia,
Rahul appear in court, granted bail
Outside,
the party engaged in a political battle, attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "targeting his
opponents" and terming Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian
Swamy his "stooge."
The top
two Congress leaders appeared at 3 p.m. before Metropolitan Magistrate Loveleen
in the Patiala House courts in the case filed by Swamy.
The
party rallied behind its leaders with former prime minister Manmohan Singh and
party's leaders in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Ghulam
Nabi Azad present in the court. Sonia Gandhi's daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was also there.
Congress
workers had been thronging the party's central office on 24, Akbar Road since
morning to express solidarity with the leaders. They later expressed their joy
at the two top party leaders getting bail.
Shortly
after returning from the court, both the Gandhis accused Modi of seeking to
bend his opponents and said they were not afraid and will fight back. The BJP
hit back, terming the Congress as closely linked with "corruption."
Kapil
Sibal, who appeared on behalf of the Congress leaders, told reporters that the
court rejected Swamy's plea to impose restrictions on the travel abroad of
Congress leaders.
"We
moved an application on behalf of all the accused for grant of bail. The court
was kind enough to grant bail without conditions except for furnishing security
in the sum of Rs. 50,000 on behalf of each of the accused which were
furnished," he told reporters after the hearing.
The
trial court also granted bail to Congress treasurer Motilal Vora, Gandhis'
family friend Suman Dubey and another party leader Oscar Fernandes who also
appeared before it.
Congress
leader A.K. Antony gave surety for Sonia Gandhi while Priyanka Gandhi gave
surety for her brother Rahul Gandhi.
Another
accused Sam Pitroda, a former chairman of the National Innovation Council was
granted exemption from personal appearance after he moved a plea for the same.
The
court fixed the next date of hearing for February 20 at 2 p.m.
The
Delhi High Court this month dismissed the Gandhis' plea to quash the summons
issued to them by the trial court on June 26, on Swamy's complaint about
"cheating" in the acquisition of Associated Journals Ltd., which
published the National Herald newspaper, by Young India Ltd., "a firm in
which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi each own a 38 percent stake".
Sonia
and Rahul Gandhi disembarked a few metres before the court premises and walked
inside amid tight security.
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