National Herald case: Delhi Court issues notice to Sonia and Rahul Gandhi over ED chargesheet
After a magistrate court took cognizance of a private complaint submitted by BJP politician Subramanian Swamy on June 26, 2014, the ED, which recently issued its chargesheet, started its investigation in 2021.
Delhi, New Delhi:
Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi received formal notices from a Delhi court on Friday over the National Herald money laundering case. This comes after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) submitted a chargesheet alleging financial crimes involving high-ranking congressional officials.
After reviewing the ED’s chargesheet, Special Judge Vishal Gogne emphasized the value of due process, saying, “The right to be heard at any stage breathes life into a fair trial.” After hearing arguments from the accused’s attorneys, the court will determine whether to issue a formal summons at its next hearing on May 8.
The case started in 2021 after BJP politician Subramanian Swamy filed a complaint in 2014, which prompted the ED to launch an inquiry. The main focus is on Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the parent firm of the now-defunct National Herald newspaper. The ED claims that AJL's assets were successfully moved to Young Indian, a recently established non-profit organization in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi had sizable stakes.
According to the agency, Congress gave AJL an unsecured loan of almost Rs 90 crore, which was later transferred to Young Indian for a pittance of Rs 50 lakh. According to the ED, this gave Young Indian the opportunity to seize AJL’s real estate holdings, which are estimated to be worth over Rs 2,000 crore and spread across numerous important cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, and LucknoW.
Several Congress figures are listed in the ED’s charge sheet, which alleges that this financial arrangement entailed money laundering totaling around Rs 988 crore.
The Congress party has criticized the central government harshly in response to the court’s rulings, accusing it of utilizing investigative agencies for political purposes. In a recent speech to leaders in New Delhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge said that the issue was a part of a wider plot to discredit senior party members. “There is a blatant attempt to use institutions to target our leaders, including Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and CPP Chairperson Sonia Gandhi,” he stated.
The Congress has continuously insisted that Young Indian is a non-profit organization and has denied any wrongdoing in the purchase of AJL or its assets.
The hearing on May 8 will be important in deciding the next steps in this well-known political matter while the legal war rages on.