With the stage set for political fireworks, here's all you need to know about the National Herald case

With the prospect of the mother-son duo of India’s first political family having to appear in court, the allegations of misappropriation are creating a political storm. This comes just when there seemed to be some good news on the horizon for the Congress, after the party made inroads in the local body elections in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home turf of Gujarat, and was part of the winning coalition in the key state of Bihar. A Delhi court last week directed Congress president Sonia Gandhi, party vice president Rahul Gandhi and five others accused in the National Herald case to appear before it on 19 December. Sonia and Rahul Gandhi’s legal team will appear before court Saturday arrmed with bail bonds, newspaper reports have confirmed. The Gandhis’ legal team figured that “it will serve no purpose” if they don’t seek bail because the case is “politically motivated,” reports The Indian Express. “Make sure all the accused appear on 19 December. I am giving exemption from personal appearance only for today. Don’t come in the morning on 19 December,” Metropolitan Magistrate Lovleen said after hearing submissions at the Patiala House Courts. The government has been attacking Congress for seeking “remedy from Parliament” for “something that happened during a judicial process” and has been suggesting that the main Opposition party was doing it to block the passage of key reform measures including GST, they said. Congress leaders insist that Subramanian Swamy, who filed the case, is just a front and and the real strings are being pulled from 7, RCR. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited the Congress for a political fight and we will not shy away. The Congress will take the BJP head on,” said Randeep Surjewala, Congress communications chief. The Indian Express explains the details of the well-past midnight huddle that spun the change in strategy to all-out-offence. [caption id=“attachment_2537510” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File photo. Image courtesy: PTI[/caption]

They think they can do this type of vendetta politics & stop me from asking questions.That's not going to happenhttps://t.co/7jurTTnhDj

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 8, 2015

It is a matter for the courts, what has the Government got to do with it?-Nitin Gadkari on #NationalHerald pic.twitter.com/bW4Ur9zKjv

— ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2015

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Here are some key facts about the National Herald case, which has placed the Gandhis squarely in the eye of a storm: -The National Herald was a newspaper that India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru helped set in pre-Independence India in the year 1938. It was part of a company called Associated Journals Limited, which was funded by the Congress. An article in Mint quotes a biographer of Nehru as saying that he found himself being unable to make an impact on the ‘reactionary tendencies’ in the Congress, after which the National Herald was started. However, as the article pointed out, it faced financial difficulties throughout its existence. The newspaper officially closed down in April 2008. -According to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), a private non-profit company ‘Young Indian’ was formed in March 2011, with Sonia and Rahul holding 38 percent of the shares each, allegedly with the specific aim of taking over the liabilities of AJL. In 2012, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy filed a complaint before a court. Swamy accused Congress leaders of being involved in cheating through the acquisition of AJL by Young Indian Pvt Ltd. He alleged that YIL paid merely Rs 50 lakh to recover an amount of Rs 90.25 crore that AJL owed to the Congress. As Sanjay Singh of _Firstpost_ points out , going by the current value of the properties of National Herald, the scam could be to the tune of anywhere between Rs 1,600 crore and Rs 5,000 crore. -The case has seen several twists and turns in the recent past. In August, reports had suggested that the ED had decided to close the case, citing lack of substantive evidence against Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. However, ED director Rajan S Katoch was removed from service after the reports to that effect surfaced. In September, the ED decided to reopen the case. -The Delhi High Court has now rejected the plea filed by the Gandhis challenging the summons, which means that they will have to appear before the court unless the order is set aside. As of now, a Delhi court has asked them to appear on 19 December and exempted them from personal appearances on 8 December.