The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has formally filed a chargesheet against senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in connection with the National Herald money laundering case, intensifying a long-standing political and legal battle that has seen the Gandhis under scrutiny for years.
The chargesheet, officially termed a prosecution complaint, also names key Congress veteran Sam Pitroda, senior journalist Suman Dubey, and several others, including corporate entities linked to the case. The document was submitted before Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court, which has now listed the matter for arguments on cognisance on April 25.
The ED’s complaint has been filed under stringent provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), specifically Sections 44 and 45, with offences falling under Section 3 read with Section 70, and punishable under Section 4 of the Act. The agency’s move comes in the backdrop of an earlier case—registered as Complaint Case No. 18/2019—being heard in the same court, which includes serious criminal charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), such as criminal breach of trust, cheating, and criminal conspiracy.
Special Judge Vishal Gogne, who is overseeing the proceedings, noted that as per Section 44(1)(c) of the PMLA, both the predicate offence and the alleged money laundering offence must be heard by the same court. This ruling ensures that the IPC charges and the PMLA allegations remain under one judicial umbrella at Rouse Avenue Court.
The case, initiated by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in 2012, alleges that top Congress figures misused party funds to acquire the assets of Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of the now-defunct National Herald newspaper. It is alleged that Young Indian, a company in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi hold majority shares, acquired AJL through questionable financial dealings.
