National Herald Case: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a prosecution complaint (chargesheet) in Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and Congress Overseas chief Sam Pitroda in the National Herald money laundering case.
Suman Dubey and many others are also named in the chargesheet. The court has fixed a hearing on April 25 to take cognizance of the chargesheet. The ED has already seized assets worth more than Rs 64 crore in this case.
National Herald Case: ED Files Chargesheet Against Rahul, Sonia Gandhi and Others
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a complaint against Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and others under sections 44 and 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), alleging that the accused have committed the offence of money laundering under section 3 of the Act.
The court has directed the ED to submit clear and readable copies of the complaint and relevant documents, including OCR (machine-readable) version, before the next hearing.
At present, this case is going on in ACJM-03 Court of Rouse Avenue Court, Delhi. Hearing is being done in this court because under the legal provisions, cases related to money laundering and related crimes should be heard together in the same court.
Since the proposed accused include sitting MPs of both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, this case has been assigned to this particular court.
The next hearing is scheduled for April 25, when the public prosecutor and the investigating officer will appear with the case diary.
National Herald Case: Jairam Ramesh Reacts to Chargesheet
Reacting to the chargesheet filed in the Rouse Avenue Court, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the filing of chargesheet against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and some others is a clear example of the politics of vendetta and intimidation by the Prime Minister and Home Minister, which has now gone completely out of control.
What is National Herald Money Laundering Case?
The National Herald money laundering case revolves around financial transactions involving Associated Journals Limited (AJL), Young Indian Private Limited and the National Herald newspaper. It is alleged that senior Congress leaders misappropriated party funds and transferred AJL’s assets to a privately controlled company, Young Indian.
According to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), party funds were illegally used for personal gain. The investigation revealed that Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have a 76% stake in Young Indian.
Although the ED started its investigation in 2021, the foundation of this case was laid in 2014 itself, when senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy filed a criminal complaint. He had alleged that AJL’s assets worth about Rs 2,000 crore were bought by Young Indian Limited for just Rs 50 lakh.
The National Herald newspaper was founded in 1938 by India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru along with other freedom fighters. During the freedom struggle, the newspaper served as a major platform for raising voices against British colonial policies and raising public awareness in support of the freedom movement.
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