Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Friday reiterated that the central government was having a political vendetta against the Congress party and that it was coming out of the Prime Minister`s Office (PMO).

Referring to the Delhi High Court dismissing the plea of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to quash the summons issued to them in the National Herald case, he told media persons here that: “Matter driven by Prime Minister`s Office. It is a legal issue and we will handle it legally.”

On being asked if he would apply for bail in the case, Rahul Gandhi said: “Let`s see what happens on 19th (of December).”

On the Congress`s prospects in next year`s Assam assembly polls, the Congress leader said: “I am confident that the Congress party will win elections in Assam, like we did in Bihar.”

Rahul Gandhi, along with his mother Sonia Gandhi and five others, will appear in the trial court in New Delhi on December 19 in connection with BJP leader Subramanian Swamy`s complaint in the National Herald case.

As the Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed the plea of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to quash the summons issued to them regarding their personal appearance by a trial court on Swamy`s complaint in the National Herald case, Rahul Gandhi targeted the PMO on Wednesday, saying it was “one hundred percent political vendetta”.

The trial court, giving relief to the Gandhis from personal appearance on Tuesday, asked them to appear before it on December 19.

On June 26 last year, the trial court issued summons to the Congress leaders on Swamy`s complaint about “cheating” in the acquisition of Associated Journals Ltd. (AJL), which ran the National Herald, by Young India Ltd. (YIL) — “a firm in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi each own a 38 percent stake”.

A sessions court on Friday rejected bail pleas of Patel quota agitation leader Hardik Patel and two of his aides, who are behind the bars in a sedition case, observing they may resort to similar unlawful activities and disturb law and order in Gujarat.

Additional sessions judge NG Dave dismissed the bail pleas in the second sedition case filed against Hardik and others saying that the “court cannot exercise discretion… in favour of the applicants in the larger interest of the society.”

Hardik and his aides Dinesh Bambhaniya and Chirag Patel, who are facing sedition charges and are at present lodged in jail, had filed their bail application last month.

While rejecting their bail plea, the court noted that prima facie a case of sedition does exist against the applicants.

The court was satisfied with the crime branch’s contention that the accused should not be released on bail looking at the serious charges they are facing.

“Considering the role played by the applicants and the role played by them, this court is not inclined to exercise its discretion in favour of the applicants..Hence, these applications are hereby rejected,” stated the order.

On Thursday, Surat sessions court had also rejected Hardik’s bail plea in another sedition case filed against him by Surat police for allegedly inciting a fellow activist “to kill policmen instaed of committing suicide.”

The city crime branch charged Hardik and five of his key aides under Indian Penal Code sections 121 (waging war against government), 124 (sedition), 153-A (promoting enmity between different communities) and 153-B (assertions prejudicial to national integrity).

However, the Gujarat High Court had recently removed section 121, 153-A and 153-B from the FIR.

In their bail plea, the trio told the court that the FIR against them is fabricated as well as politically motivated.

Amid Parliament logjam, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will meet Congress leaders on December 14 to hold discussions on GST Bill.

Pitching for early passage of the GST Bill in the Rajya Sabha, Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said efforts to create hurdle will amount to damaging the country.

The Constitution Amendment Bill to roll out Goods and Services Tax is stuck in the Rajya Sabha due to stiff opposition by the Congress party and might be delayed further because of the tough stance taken by the main opposition party over the National Herald case issue.

“It’s extremely important and all parties must come together. Now that revenue neutral rate of 15 per cent has been announced which was not even discussed…people were discussing 22, 24 per cent.

“India desperately needs the GST, businesses and trade need GST and anybody tries to create hurdle in the passing of GST will be doing the great damage to the country,” he said in an interview to Times Now.

The 15 per cent Revenue Neutral Rate has been suggested by a committee headed by Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian last week.

Referring to the Congress demand for inclusion of GST rate in the Bill, Jaitley said the Bill was initiated by the Congress itself and it should help in passage in the interest of the country.

“If the Congress party intends to pass the GST and help in passing the GST which in all fairness I must concede was an initiative started by the Congress party itself, it will be doing fair to its own programme, it will be doing fair to the country,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier held meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to break the ice on the GST logjam and other pending work in Parliament.

All three convicts in Kolkata’s Park Street gangrape case were sentenced for 10 year of rigorous imprisonment and fine of Rs. 1 lakh each on Friday.
The court on Thursday has convicted the three accused. Two other accused in the case are still absconding.

The accused were found guilty under sections 376 (2)(g) (gangrape), 120B (criminal conspiracy) 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of IPC.

The police is, however, yet to apprehend the main accused Kader Khan and another accused named Ali.

The victim, who had appeared in public several times and said she had no inhibition in publishing her name, died of encephalitis in March this year.

The victim, when she was 40-year-old, had been picked up in a car in front of a night club at Park Street in the heart of the city on February 5, 2012, and gangraped inside the moving car before she was thrown off near a road crossing.