Delhi court drama ends in quick anticlimax with Gandhis getting bail

The mother and son leaders of the opposition Congress party, who stand accused of cheating and misappropriation of funds in the purchase of a defunct newspaper four years ago, spent just six minutes in the courtroom.

India's Congress party vice president Rahul Gandhi (C-R-White Shirt) walks along with his mother and Congress party president Sonia Gandhi (C-L-Red Saree) as they arrive at Patiala House Court in New Delhi, India, on December 19, 2015. Rajat Gupta/EPAShow less

NEW DELHI // An afternoon of high drama ended in a quick anticlimax on Saturday when Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, leaders of the opposition Congress party, appeared in court in a corruption case, only to be given bail and walk out again in a matter of minutes.

The Gandhis, who stand accused of cheating and misappropriation of funds in the purchase of a defunct newspaper four years ago, spent just six minutes in the Delhi metropolitan court. The anticipatory bail they secured enables them to avoid judicial custody while the case is being heard.

The next hearing of the case has been set for February 20.

Sonia Gandhi, the Congress president, and her son Rahul, the party vice president, had tried for months to avoid appearing in court in this case, which has been pursued doggedly by Subramanian Swamy, a leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). They were ordered to do so by the Delhi high court last week.

Mr Gandhi, who has accused the government of pursuing a “political vendetta”, had planned to not seek bail, in order to go to jail and set off a sympathy wave, according to Congress sources who spoke to the media.

On Saturday, however, his plans appeared to have changed.

In cities such as Jaipur, Nagpur, Bengaluru and Varanasi, Congress party workers organised protests against the case and the government.

“The BJP wants to finish the entire opposition, not just the Congress,” Ghulam Nabi Azad, a senior Congress leader, said in Delhi. “We have faith in the judiciary ... We will get justice.”

The Gandhis met with their lawyers and party colleagues at Mr Azad’s residence in central Delhi before arriving at the nearby courthouse just before their appointed time of 3pm.

The Patiala District Court Complex was blanketed by security, and the Gandhis themselves came with their posse of bodyguards.

In response to an application by the Gandhis’ lawyers, the metropolitan magistrate, Loveleen Singh, granted them bail at 50,000 rupees (Dh2,767) each. Mr Singh also clarified that the bail did not exempt them from subsequent court appearances.

Three other Congress leaders who have been implicated in the case along with the Gandhis were granted bail as well.

Mr Swamy, the plaintiff, pleaded for the court to impound the Gandhis’ passports to prevent them from fleeing the country. This request was turned down.

“It is sad that Swamy had asked for such a condition against people who are such prominent personalities,” said Abhishek Manu Singhvi, a senior Congress leader and Mr Gandhi’s lawyer. “We are thankful that the court rejected Swamy’s request.”

After their court appearance, the Gandhis addressed a scrum of reporters at the Congress party headquarters.

“I assure every citizen of this country that we will not bow down to the vendetta unleashed by them,” Mr Gandhi said, referring to the ruling BJP. “The Congress party will continue to fight for the common man, the poor, the farmers and the labourers of this nation. [Prime minister Narendra] Modi makes false allegations, and he thinks the opposition will bend. I will not bend, Congress won’t bend.”

Mr Gandhi has long held that Mr Swamy is acting on behalf of the BJP and Mr Modi.

Peer Mohamed, a Chennai-based political analyst, said the case was far from an open-and-shut affair and it would be difficult to prove criminal activity or intent. Corruption cases also drag on for years, he said – already, the next court date is two months away.

"A conviction is a remote possibility," he told The National. "As of now, I don't see this trial making too much of a difference to the political scene."