ED files a chargesheet against seven persons, including Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in National Herald case

BW Online Bureau Apr 16, 2025

Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul are majority shareholders of Young Indian, which is under the ED scanner over allegations that it acquired AJL and its assets for Rs 50 lakh while the properties were valued at over Rs 2,000 crores : ED

New Delhi, April 16

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a chargesheet against seven persons, including Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, in connection with its money laundering probe in the National Herald case.

The ED had served notices to take possession of immovable assets worth Rs 661 crore in Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow that it had attached as part of the money laundering probe against Associated Journals Limited (AJL), which publishes the National Herald newspaper, and Young Indian, which owns it.

Sonia and Rahul are majority shareholders of Young Indian, which is under the ED scanner over allegations that it acquired AJL and its assets for Rs 50 lakh while the properties were valued at over Rs 2,000 crore, against an alleged loan extended by the Congress party. Both Sonia and Rahul were questioned in 2022 as part of the probe.

The ED case is based on a trial court order that allowed the Income Tax department to probe the affairs of National Herald and conduct a tax assessment of Sonia and Rahul. The order followed a petition filed by Subramanian Swamy in 2013.

ED filed a chargesheet after it found sufficient evidence during its investigation. Besides Sonia and Rahul, the chargesheet also names Sam Pitroda, Suman Dubey, Sunil Bhandari, M/s Young India, and M/s Dotex Merchandise Pvt Ltd. ED has pegged the current market value of the assets linked to the money laundering case at Rs 5,000 crores.