New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi has asked her party’s top legal minds to examine the court order summoning former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a coal scam case and decide on a response.
Former law minister Kapil Sibal, one of the country’s top lawyers, will represent Dr Singh, along with KTS Tulsi, Congress sources have told NDTV.
On Wednesday, hours after a special CBI court summoned Manmohan Singh as an accused in a case linked to the illegal allocation of coal mining rights, Mrs Gandhi held discussions with Mr Sibal, another former law minister Ashwani Kumar, and the party’s leaders in Parliament, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mallikarjun Kharge.
Sources say the order can be challenged in the Supreme Court.
The Congress president led over 100 party leaders today in a “walk of support” for Manmohan Singh. A large group of party leaders and MPs walked around half a km from the Congress office to Dr Singh’s home.
“We offer our unstinted support and are fully behind him. We shall fight this not only legally but with all our means at our command,” Mrs Gandhi, expressing outrage, told reporters outside Dr Singh’s home.
“We have no doubt whatsoever that he will be vindicated,” she asserted.
The 82-year-old former prime minister was seen beaming at his party colleagues. “I am more than pleased and we will fight this case to the best of our ability,” Dr Singh told NDTV, saying that he was “grateful that top leaders came to meet me.”
The Congress president has missed the last few days of Parliament because of viral fever and her silence was noticed on Wednesday. Though the Congress held a special briefing and top leaders came out strongly in Dr Singh’s support, sources say Sonia Gandhi wanted to counter any impression that he is fighting a lone battle.
“I am upset, but this is a part of life. The truth will prevail,” Dr Singh told reporters yesterday after the summons, looking visibly distressed.