The Delhi High Court has dismissed a plea by the National Herald newspaper's publisher against an order that it vacate its premises: Herald House.

A two-judge bench had reserved its decision on February 18 after hearing arguments from the publisher -- Associated Journals Limited (AJL) -- and the central government.

AJL's plea challenged a single judge's order, dated December 21, 2018, that asked it to vacate the Delhi premises within two weeks.

This ruling came after AJL challenged the government's order that it vacate the building. The Centre ended a 56-year-old lease and said there was no printing or publishing activity in the building.

The judge who delivered the December ruling said that AJL had been "hijacked" by Young India (YI), in which Congress president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chief Sonia Gandhi are shareholders.

By a transfer of 99 per cent of AJL shares to YI, the judge said, the beneficial interest of the publisher's property worth Rs 413.40 crore stood "clandestinely" transferred to YI.

During court arguments, AJL's lawyer Abhishek M Singhvi has said the transfer of the company's majority shares to YI won't make Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi owners of the Herald building.

He also contended that the central government did not raise the issue of a lack of printing activity at the Herald building before June 2018, by when publishing of some of its online editions had already begun.

The government, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, argued that in the manner the shares were transferred, the court needed to "pierce the corporate veil" of AJL to see who owned Herald House.

It contended that the land in question was allocated to AJL on lease for a printing press, and that this "dominant purpose" was stopped several years ago.

Inputs from PTI