New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused BJP leader Subramanian Swamy of trying to create an "archive for ulterior motives" by seeking documents from the party and Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) in the National Herald case.

The Congress top brass made the submission before a Delhi court, alleging that Swamy was seeking "fishing and roving enquiry" and wanted to make out a "new case" against them by taking recourse to a "fishing" probe in the matter and sought dismissal of his application seeking documents.

Swamy told Metropolitan Magistrate Lovleen that "I am not going to get National Herald if I win the case as all these are public properties."

He said he would file a detailed reply to the accused's claim and sought time from the court, which posted the matter for further hearing on November 4.

Appearing for the accused, senior advocates R S Cheema and Rebecca John told the court that "there is an effort to create an archive for ulterior motives. No fishing or roving enquiry should be allowed."

Swamy has accused the Gandhis and other party leaders, Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda, of allegedly conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by just paying Rs 50 lakh by which Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YI) obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore which AJL owed to the Congress party. All accused have denied the allegations levelled against them.

During arguments, the counsel representing the accused said there was no specific time period given in Swamy's application for which the documents have been sought and several of them are already on record.

The counsel submitted there was no list of witnesses filed by Swamy in the case who could certify the documents.

The accused also opposed Swamy's plea seeking summoning of Income Tax records from the Congress party and AJL, saying these entities were not accused and hence their records cannot and should not be disclosed for maintaining their confidentiality.

The court had on August 27 issued notices to Gandhis and the other accused and the firm YI seeking their replies.