National Herald Case: Delhi Court Reserves Order On Cognizance Of ED's Complaint Against Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi
A Delhi Court on Monday reserved order on whether it will take cognizance of Enforcement Directorate's money laundering complaint in the National Herald case allegedly involving Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.
Special Judge Vishal Gogne of Rouse Avenue Courts has listed the matter for orders on July 29.
“In view of the extensive submissions made by the ld. respective counsels for the proposed accused with reference to case law and the documents on record, it is directed that the proposed accused shall file a brief synopsis of their submissions, not exceeding 3-4 pages, by 19.07.2025,” the Court said.
The ED had filed a fresh prosecution complaint against Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi under sections 44 and 45 of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) 2002 for commission of offence of money laundering as defined under section 3 read with section 70 and punishable under section 4 of PMLA, 2002.
The controversy centers around the acquisition of Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of the now-defunct National Herald newspaper.
In 2010, a newly formed company, Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YIL), acquired AJL's debts from the Indian National Congress for ₹50 lakh.
Subsequently, YIL took control of AJL's assets, which were valued at over ₹2,000 crore. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi held a majority stake in YIL, leading to allegations that they used party funds to gain control of AJL's valuable properties.
The ED's investigation, initiated in 2014, focused on the financial transactions between the Congress party, AJL, and YIL.
The agency alleges that the Gandhis and other Congress leaders engaged in a scheme to misappropriate AJL's assets for personal gain.
Recently, the ED has moved to take possession of properties linked to AJL, valued at approximately ₹661 crore, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).