Congress President Sonia Gandhi's close aide Vincent George was discharged on Wednesday by a court in New Delhi following the Delhi High Court order quashing the criminal proceedings against him in a 13-year-old disproportionate assets case. Special CBI Judge J P S Malik noted that the high court had on December 23 set aside the order of summoning George as an accused.

"Vide order dated December 23, 2014, passed by the Delhi High Court, order dated July 18, 2013 and July 19, 2013, summoning the accused, has been set aside. Accused stands discharged," the judge said.

The high court had allowed George's petition and set aside the order of the trial court summoning him as an accused in the case by rejecting the closure report filed by CBI. During the pendency of the matter, the high court had passed an interim order on August 26, 2013 staying the proceedings before the trial court. George had challenged the trial court's July 18, 2013 order directing him to appear before the special court on August 30, 2013. The trial court had rejected CBI's closure report saying there was sufficient material to proceed against him.

Earlier, George's counsel had argued there was no material on record to indicate the commission of the alleged offence. It was submitted that the closure report and the material filed by CBI, along with the report, clearly showed each and every penny received has been properly explained with documentary proof.

The trial court had held that sufficient material was available on record for proceeding against George for the offence punishable Under Section 13(1)(e) of Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) relating to possession of assets by a public servant disproportionate to known sources of income and summoned him as an accused for offence punishable under section 13(1)(e) of PCA, 1988.

An FIR was registered by CBI against George in 2001, when NDA was in power, in which he was alleged to have been in possession of disproportionate assets from November, 1984 to December, 1990, a charge rejected by him.

CBI had said that during that period, the total income of George, his wife and two minor children from known sources of income was Rs 8,84,772.99. Prior to 1984, George and his family members were in possession of movable assets of Rs 1.56 lakh. He and his family members had acquired movable and immovable assets during the period November, 1984 to December, 1990 to the tune of Rs 18,82,417. Their expenses were Rs 1.2 lakh, CBI had said.

"Thus, the preliminary enquiry revealed disproportionate assets found in possession of the petitioner (George) and his family members at the end of December, 1990 were Rs 9,61,308.82," CBI had said, adding that on the basis of preliminary enquiry, FIR was lodged on March 20, 2001 under the PCA.