On December 22, 2025, Delhi High Court has issued notice to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and other accused in the National Herald money laundering case. Actually, in this case, Rouse Avenue Court had refused to take action on the charge sheet against Rahul-Sonia. After this the Enforcement Directorate (ED) challenged in the Delhi High Court.

Delhi High Court gave hearing date next year

Delhi High Court has accepted the petition of ED and given the next date of hearing as March 12, 2026. On behalf of ED, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta in his argument in Delhi High Court said that the final conclusion is that in exchange of the amount of Rs 50 lakh, the accused have received property worth Rs 2,000 crore.

Tushar Mehta said that in June 2014, a private complaint was filed by an individual, on which the lower court had taken cognizance and later the Delhi High Court had put a stay on it.

Names of many big personalities included in the charge sheet

ED had named Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Sam Pitroda, Suman Dubey, Sunil Bhandari, Young Indian and Dotex Merchandise Private Limited in its charge sheet. On ED’s investigation, Congress’s argument was that this is an act of political vendetta, whereas ED claims that this is a serious economic crime in which evidence of fraud and money laundering has been found.

ED accuses Sonia-Rahul of big scam

ED alleges that Congress leaders, as part of a conspiracy, acquired Associated Journals Ltd. To take over the assets of (AJL) worth Rs 2,000 crore, it was acquired through private company ‘Young Indian’ for only Rs 50 lakh. Sonia and Rahul hold 76% shares of this company.

In this case, the ‘income earned from crime’ was considered to be Rs 988 crore. Also, the market value of the associated properties has been said to be Rs 5,000 crore.

What is National Herald case?

The National Herald case in which the charge sheet has been filed against Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi is related to the National Herald newspaper. It was started in 1938 by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru along with 5 thousand freedom fighters. This newspaper was published by AJL. This newspaper was closed in 2008. Then news of controversy and scam on its acquisition started emerging.

Political rhetoric is intensifying on the new FIR against Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in the National Herald case. Taking aim at the leaders of the ruling party, they said that Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and the Gandhi-Vadra family is a corrupt family. On Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale said while talking to IANS, ‘They are not above the law. If there are allegations, the agencies will conduct their investigation accordingly.

Union Minister of State SP Singh Baghel said on this matter, ‘The new FIR has been registered after a thorough study of the documents and evidence. The action was not taken out of any sense of revenge. The court is independent and impartial. When the evidence obtained is found, then an FIR is called for. After the evidence is included in the FIR, the court accepts it.

BJP spokesperson also targeted
BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari also took aim and said that the new FIR in this case makes it clear that a prima facie case of corruption against Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi has come before the public as per the public sentiment and facts. He said that Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Gandhi-Vadra family is a corrupt family.

RP Singh said, ‘When the Enforcement Directorate (ED) files a case, its follow-up is usually done by the Economic Offenses Wing (EOW) as per standard procedure. This is a 2013 case on which ED was following up. Now, since the court has taken cognizance of the charge sheet, EOW has started action. A new FIR has been filed because of taking over a company worth Rs 2,000 and then running a scam in it.

Danish Azad Ansari also reacted
Danish Azad Ansari, minister in the Uttar Pradesh government, also gave his reaction and said that the Congress party is the epitome of corruption in many ways. During its rule from 2004 to 2014, the party created new dimensions of corruption across the country. Danish Ansari said, ‘People had elected him for service, but instead he remained engaged in personal gain while in power. In those ten years, many cases of corruption came to light during the Congress rule.

National Herald Case: The hearing of the money laundering case related to the National Herald case is going on in the Rouse Avenue Court case of New Delhi. The ED has made a shocking claim in the court. Presenting the argument before the court, he said that prima facie makes a case of money laundering against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others. He has earned Rs 142 crore.

On behalf of ED, ASG Raju said in the court that a case is made against Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. The ED said in the court, “By the time the attachment of assets was done in November 2023, the accused were taking advantage of the crime earnings.” During this time he took advantage of 142 crores. “ED said,” When the accused have earned the income of the crime, they launched the money, but it is also considered to be money laundering. This is not only direct, but also indirect, which is the acquisition of the income of crime. ‘

ED had already filed charge sheet

The ED had already filed a charge sheet regarding the National Herald case. Now this case is being heard. After the ED’s charge sheet was filed, the Rouse Avon Court issued notice to other accused including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Sam Pitroda. The court had said that before taking cognizance of the charge sheet, the right to listen to the accused’s side cannot be taken away.

Abhishek Manu Singhvi demands to postpone hearing

Abhishek Manu Singhvi has demanded to postpone the hearing of the case by July. He told the court that he has recently received a copy of the charge sheet, which will take time to read. Opposing the demand to postpone the hearing, ASG SV Raju on behalf of the ED said that a copy of the charge sheet was given on the last hearing and after that a case was filed for the hearing today. No objection was expressed at that time, but now there is a demand to postpone the hearing. We are ready for hearing today.

ED kept talking in court about Young India Company

The ED told the court that the ownership of the Young India Company has always been with Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. He claimed, “Young India never had any business activity, his job was to benefit Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.” We raided 21 places, in which around 51 lakh cash was recovered and many objectionable evidence was also recovered.

National Herald Case: The Congress Party on Wednesday held a nationwide demonstration against the Fund of Lok Sabha Leader of Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Rajya Sabha MP and former National President of All India National Congress Sonia Gandhi in the National Herald case against the filing of charge sheet of Enforcement Directorate (ED). On this, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (Subhaspa) chief and UP government cabinet minister Om Prakash Rajbhar said that he has nothing to do except demonstrations.

Speaking to reporters in Varanasi, Subhaspa chief said, the Congress and the opposition have no other way except demonstration. Now he will only perform. When they live in power, they do not remember poor, weak and minorities. They do not miss bread, cloth, house, education, medicine. When they stay out of power, they do not have any work.

What said on Akhilesh Yadav and Mamta Banerjee
Taking a dig at the main opposition Samajwadi Party of Uttar Pradesh, he said, “When Akhilesh’s government was there, people used to call the SP’s party. Criminals used to roam like a holiday bull, but now the criminals are curbed in the state. Now all the criminals in the state are either in jail or are living in a crime. If someone is trying to commit crime, if someone is trying to commit a crime, then he is being tried to commit a crime, then he is being tried to commit a crime. Is.”

Mayawati was angry at the statement of SP leaders, said- ‘The atmosphere of tension and violence created an atmosphere by forwarding Dalit people …’

Regarding violence in protest against Waqf Act in the Trinamool Congress (TMC) -led West Bengal led by Mamta Banerjee, Rajbhar said, “Seeing the way violence is taking place in West Bengal, President’s rule should be imposed there. On the orders of the Calcutta High Court, the Central Reserve Force has been deployed there. The kind of incidents are happening there, people need to escape there.

Kapil Sibal on National Herald Case: Kapil Sibal has made serious allegations against the government on the National Herald case. He said that the government is trying to seize the property of the National Herald newspaper through the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Sibal claims that this property belongs to the newspaper and the government is doing this so that the Congress can be weakened.

Kapil Sibal accused the government

Kapil Sibal alleged, “This government is now trying to capture the National Herald property through ED. This property is of the newspaper. It is of the newspaper so that the Congress can be paralyzed. The Congress does not have the much money as they do. He further said, “These government is trying to eliminate the opposition using agencies. There is democracy in the country to say. But the country is running from the Father of Dictatorship. These people want to run the country with dictatorship. These people do not allow other governments to work.

Kharge also targeted the government

Earlier, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge is not afraid of attachment of the properties of the party National Herald. He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi conspired to attach assets worth Rs 780 crore of that newspaper, which was started by the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

He said, “The property that has been confiscated is not of any person, but of a newspaper, which Pandit Nehru started in three languages ​​as a voice of freedom.

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National Herald Money Laundering Case: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken major action in the National Herald Money Laundering case. The ED has started the process of capturing the attached properties of Associated Journals Limited (AJL). On 11 April 2025, ED sent notices to the property registrar of Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow. Apart from this, notice has also been sent to Jindal South West Projects Limited in Herald House, Mumbai, which is on rent on the 7th, 8th and 9th floors of that building. Now they have to deposit the rent for every month to ED.

ED investigation revealed that there has been a black earning of about Rs 988 crore in this case. For this reason, AJL properties and shares were attached on 20 November 2023, which cost around ₹ 751 crore. This action has now been approved by the authorized court on 10 April 2024.

Subramanian Swamy accused Sonia and Rahul Gandhi

The entire case was started with a complaint by Dr. Subramanian Swamy, in which he alleged that Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and his colleagues grabbed AJL’s assets worth 2000 crores by paying only 50 lakh rupees. When the matter was investigated, it has also come to light that more than Rs 85 crore was also moved around through fake donation, false fare and artificial advertisements. Now the ED has pasted notices to take possession of these properties and has started the process of taking possession of them.

What happened in ED investigation

According to the agency, AJL-Young Indian Network was allegedly used to raise illegal funds of Rs 18 crore, advance fare of Rs 38 crore and Rs 29 crore through advertisements. Officials said that the latest step aims to prevent continuous consumption, use and further production of contaminated assets.

Also read: National Herald Case: In National Herald case, ED told how cheated, added to newspaper administration