Delhi Court Refuses To Issue Notice To Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi In National Herald Money Laundering Case For Now

A Delhi Court on Friday refused to issue notice to Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald money laundering case for now.

Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Courts observed that such an order cannot be passed till the Court is fully satisfied.

The judge said that certain documents were missing in the chargesheet (prosecution complaint) filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The Court said that ED must file the said documents first and then the aspect of whether notice has to be issued will be decided.

The matter will now be heard on May 02.

Earlier this month, ED filed the prosecution complaint against the Gandhis in the case. The fresh prosecution complaint has been filed under sections 44 and 45 of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) 2002 for commission of offence of money laundering.

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).