BJP leader and main petitioner in the National Herald case, Subramanian Swamy on Saturday told a Delhi court that a Rs.414 crore fine was imposed on Young Indian, a firm in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi allegedly own a 38 per cent stake each.

Swamy submitted before Metropolitan Magistrate Ambika Singh that the Income Tax department had launched a probe against Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, Young Indian, and four others after taking note of his complaint.

The court ordered that the documents, submitted by the Rajya Sabha MP be kept in a sealed cover, as it adjourned the matter involving the former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, her son and party president Rahul Gandhi and others till March 17.

“The I-T department took notice of the facts in my complaint and launched an investigation against the seven accused. A Rs.414 crore fine was imposed on Young Indian for withholding information,” Swamy said in the court.

He said that he found the documents related to the I-T department’s December 27, 2017 order lying along with newspapers at his doorstep recently.

The counsel for the accused persons opposed the BJP leader’s submission alleging that the I-T documents were in “unauthorised and unlawful possession of Swamy” and they should not be taken on record.

The counsel said that an application will be filed in the court by the accused in this regard following which the magistrate gave the direction for keeping the documents in a sealed cover.

Apart from the Gandhis, Congress party leaders Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey, and Sam Pitroda and Young Indian – are facing trial in the case.

Swamy had filed a complaint about “cheating” in acquisition of AJL, which published the National Herald newspaper, by Young Indian.

The case stems from a complaint by Swamy that accused the Gandhis of allegedly conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by just paying Rs.50 lakh, through which Young Indian obtained right to recover Rs.90.25 crore that the AJL owed to the Congress.

The Congress has accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of launching a “witch-hunt” in the case.