Delhi court issues notice to Sonia, Rahul Gandhi in National Herald case

A Delhi court has issued notices to Sonia and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case, following an ED probe into alleged financial irregularities and money laundering

Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Friday issued formal notices to Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in connection with the long-running National Herald money laundering case. The development follows a probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and a legal battle that has spanned more than a decade.

 

Special Judge Vishal Gogne emphasised the importance of upholding the rights of the accused during judicial proceedings. “Right to be heard at any stage breathes life into a fair trial,” he said, while scheduling the next hearing for 8 May.

 

The probe agency launched its formal investigation in 2021 after a magistrate court considered a private criminal complaint filed in June 2014 by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy. The complaint alleged criminal conspiracy and financial irregularities by senior Congress leaders involving the now-defunct National Herald newspaper.

 

At the heart of the allegations is the acquisition of Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the parent company of National Herald, and the creation of Young Indian, a not-for-profit entity in which both Sonia and Rahul Gandhi reportedly own 38 per cent shares each. According to the ED, the structure of Young Indian was crafted to gain indirect control of AJL’s real estate assets, valued at over ₹2,000 crore.

 

The agency alleges that the Congress party gave an unsecured loan of approximately ₹90 crore to AJL, which was later transferred to Young Indian for just ₹50 lakh. This transfer, according to the ED, enabled Young Indian to take control of AJL and its assets, including valuable properties in Delhi, Lucknow, and Mumbai. The ED claims this arrangement led to the laundering of around ₹988 crore.

 

Congress terms probe political, cites vendetta

 

Meanwhile, the Congress party has strongly pushed back against the investigation, calling it politically motivated. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge recently addressed party leaders in New Delhi, accusing the Centre of misusing investigative agencies.

 

“You must have noticed how, as part of a big conspiracy, the names of CPP Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi have been put in the chargesheet in the National Herald case,” Kharge said.

 

He added that the party would not be intimidated by what he described as “a spirit of vendetta.”

 

(With agency inputs)