New Delhi: BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Friday objected to the lawyer for Congress leader Sonia Gandhi for asking questions in Hindi while being cross-examination in National Herald case, saying he was a ‘Tamil’.
Interchange of words Swami and senior advocate R.S. Cheema appeared on behalf of Gandhi before the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal, recording the cross-examination of the BJP leader who complained in the case.
Asked, “Dr. Swami Jesus Sadek Pe Indian Express Building Bana (Dr. Swamy, the road on which the Indian Express Building was built) …”, Swamy said, “Please speak in English. You should remember that I am a Tamil. English is the court language. ”
However, before the debate escalated, the judge intervened, saying that both English and Hindi are the languages of the court.
To this, Swami said that he understood only Sanskritist Hindi, not Urdu-Hindi.
However, after this Cheema avoided using Hindi while cross-examining Swami.
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In his personal criminal complaint, Swamy had accused Gandhi and others of misappropriating money and falsely implicating him by paying just Rs 50 lakh, through which Young Indian (Wii) Private Limited charged the publisher Rs 90.25 crore. Had obtained the right to Associate Journals Limited is owed to Congress.
During the cross-examination, Swamy told the court that Congress party officials were cheating while Congress workers were victims of deception.
Senior Advocate R.S. Cheema pointed to Gandeev, saying that Swamy never claimed that the Congress party was a victim of the deception committed by the accused persons.
The BJP leader said, “The major shareholders of YI are also Congress party officials. Congress party workers who collected donations were cheated. Congress party workers were victims of deception and officials were bearers. ”
He continued, “The publication of the National Herald was later resumed from another site from April 7, 2016. It was well after the summons was issued in the case on June 26, 2014. So, it was a thought. It was said that the publication was started, ending eight years later. Soon after publication stopped, VRS was awarded to the entire staff, journalists and workmen. ”
He said that the publication was resumed as the DDA and the Urban Ministry have sued for the acquisition of the Herald House.
He denied that he had offered a picture of the final and permanent closure in the complaint “to suppress the false case” and deliberately referred to the temporary closure of the National Herald.
Meanwhile, the court on Friday directed a journalist, who is Swamy’s witness in the case, to go outside the court.
When the journalists were present in court without calling Cheema, Cheema reported that this development had taken place.
During the proceedings, Swamy told the court that Munshi was his “close confidant” and a part of the now-defunct Action Committee Against Corruption in India (ACACI) promoted by the BJP leader.
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Swamy also confirmed that he had done a ‘tweet’ in December 2015 stating that the original research on the National Herald was done by Munshi.
The BJP leader was being cross-examined in the National Herald case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, his mother Sonia Gandhi and others.
All the seven accused in the case – Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, Vora, senior Congress leaders Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda and Wii have denied the allegations leveled against them.
Gandive, Vora, Fernandes, Dubey and Pitroda face charges of property misuse, treachery, fraud and criminal conspiracy.
