Today, On 29th November, The Delhi court deferred its decision on taking cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate’s chargesheet in the National Herald case, stating that it needs additional time to examine the alleged fraudulent transactions flagged by the agency, moving the order to December 16.
A Delhi court postponed its decision regarding the cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) chargesheet related to the National Herald case.
Special Judge Vishal Gogne has rescheduled the announcement to December 16.
The ED has leveled accusations against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, as well as the late Motilal Vora and Oscar Fernandes, alongside Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda, and the private entity Young Indian, for conspiracy and money laundering.
They are alleged to have acquired assets valued at around Rs 2,000 crore from Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of the National Herald newspaper.
The agency claims that the Gandhis possessed a 76 percent majority share in Young Indian, which “fraudulently” seized the assets of AJL in return for a Rs 90 crore loan.
The chargesheet includes Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Pitroda, Dubey, Sunil Bhandari, Young Indian, and Dotex Merchandise Pvt Ltd among the accused.
Earlier, In July, the ED alleged that the Gandhis attempted to misappropriate assets of Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of the National Herald, which are valued at approximately Rs 2,000 crore. This was allegedly done through their majority stake in Young Indian Ltd, which they acquired for a nominal sum of Rs 50 lakh.
The agency claimed that Young Indian largely existed in name only and that the other accused acted under the direction of the Gandhi family.
During the proceedings, the court reviewed the case diary and requested more information from the ED regarding the naming of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and others as proposed accused. The court had previously reserved its order on July 14 after hearing arguments from both the ED and the legal teams representing the Gandhis.
The ED asserts that there was a conspiracy to take control of AJL’s assets and convert public trusts into personal property, involving “fake transactions” and fraudulent advance rent payments orchestrated by senior Congress leaders.
In defense of the Gandhis, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi called the allegations strange and highlighted that no tangible assets were involved. Rahul Gandhi’s counsel, R.S. Cheema, contended that the effort to revive the historic newspaper was being misrepresented as a plan to sell its assets, emphasizing the National Herald’s non-profit objectives.
This case originates from a 2012 complaint filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who accused Congress leaders of cheating and breach of trust in the acquisition of AJL.
The court’s decision on whether to take cognizance will come after receiving clarifications from the ED.
The National Herald case involves a Rs.90 crore loan provided by the Congress party to Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), the publisher of the National Herald, which was assigned to Young Indian for a sum of Rs.50 lakh. Allegations have been made regarding the misappropriation of assets exceeding Rs.2,000 crore in this equity transaction.
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