NEW DELHI, May 2: A Delhi court on Friday issued notices to Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in connection with the alleged National Herald money laundering case.
The Rouse Avenue Courts directed the Gandhis and other accused to show cause as to why cognisance should not be taken on the charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Last week, Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne had temporarily declined to issue notice on the ED’s prosecution complaint, asking the federal anti-money laundering agency to rectify procedural defects and place all requisite documents on record. While the prosecution argued that the court could take cognisance without hearing the accused, the judge said, “I cannot pass such an order until satisfied.”
The matter was scheduled for hearing on May 2, following which the court issued the notices. The ED recently filed a prosecution complaint against senior Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, in the same case.
Others named in the charge sheet include Congress Overseas Chief Sam Pitroda, Suman Dubey, and several others. The charge sheet filed at Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Courts estimates the alleged proceeds of crime to be worth Rs 988 crore.
The allegations revolve around the misappropriation of property owned by Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the original publisher of the National Herald, by converting public assets into personal assets of the Congress leadership.
The National Herald, founded in 1938 by Jawaharlal Nehru and other leaders, was historically a voice of liberal Congress ideology. AJL also published Hindi and Urdu editions of the newspaper, which ceased operations in 2008 after accumulating debts of over Rs 90 crore.
The controversy erupted in 2012 when BJP leader Subramanian Swamy filed a complaint in a trial court, accusing Congress leaders of cheating and breach of trust in their acquisition of AJL.
Swamy alleged that Young Indian Ltd — a company in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi hold majority stakes — took control of AJL’s assets through a “malicious” acquisition intended to benefit Congress leadership personally.
The ED’s investigation concluded that the accused, including Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, used Young Indian to gain control over AJL’s assets for a nominal sum of Rs 50 lakh. The agency claimed the market value of the properties was grossly underrepresented, allowing the Gandhis to take over significant assets at negligible cost.
In November 2023, the ED attached immovable properties worth Rs 661 crore and AJL shares valued at Rs 90.2 crore, terming them as suspected proceeds of crime under the PMLA.
The court’s decision marks a significant development in the long-running case and could have serious legal and political implications for the Congress party leadership.
