Delhi Court Grants Relief To Rahul, Sonia Gandhi In National Herald Case

In a legal reprieve, a Delhi court provided relief to Rahul and Sonia Gandhi in the National Herald case, offering temporary respite amid ongoing proceedings.

New Delhi: Delhi court has declined to take note of the Enforcement Directorate’s money laundering case against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and five others in connection with the National Herald matter.

As per NDTV reports, The Rouse Avenue Court observed that the complaint filed by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) was not maintainable in the absence of a First Information Report. The court further noted that the Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has already registered an FIR in the case, making it “premature and imprudent” to consider the ED’s submission at this stage.

The EOW had filed its report last month, naming the Gandhis and five others including Congress overseas unit chief Sam Pitroda  alleging a conspiracy to “fraudulently take over” Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of the now defunct National Herald newspaper, reportedly.

The charges stemmed from information shared by the ED, which, under Section 66(2) of the PMLA, is empowered to request other agencies to register and investigate a scheduled offence. In its findings, the ED alleged laundering of the “proceeds of crime” linked to the alleged takeover of AJL by Young Indian, a company in which the Gandhis are said to hold a majority stake.

Earlier, on November 29, the Rouse Avenue Court had postponed delivering its order after reserving judgment on November 7, observing that a closer examination of financial records was needed. The court said documents related to transactions, alleged rent receipts and the flow of funds required deeper scrutiny before deciding whether the prosecution’s complaint met the legal requirements for taking cognisance under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), as per IANS 

The Enforcement Directorate had maintained that the matter involved a “serious economic offence,” alleging that a conspiracy was planned to set up Young Indian with the aim of taking control of Associated Journals Limited’s assets for a token amount, largely to benefit senior Congress leaders.

The agency further claimed that several top Congress figures were linked to “sham transactions,” including what it described as bogus advance rent payments backed by fabricated rent receipts.

Congress leaders, however, have repeatedly rejected the charges, calling the money laundering case “unusual” and “without precedent.” The dispute over National Herald’s assets dates back to 2012, when BJP leader Subramanian Swamy approached a trial court, accusing Congress leaders of cheating and criminal breach of trust in the process through which AJL was taken over.