Delhi High Court to Hear ED’s Petition Against Sonia, Rahul Gandhi in National Herald Case

New Delhi, Dec 2025 : The Delhi High Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a criminal revision petition filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), challenging a trial court’s order that refused to take cognisance of its money laundering complaint against Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and others in the alleged National Herald case.

According to the causelist published on the Delhi HC website, a single-judge Bench of Justice Ravinder Dudeja will hear the ED’s plea against the Rouse Avenue Court order, which had dismissed its prosecution complaint filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Earlier, Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Court had declined to take cognisance of the ED’s complaint, stating that it was not maintainable under law. While the court granted relief to Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, it clarified that the ED remained at liberty to continue its investigation in accordance with the law.

Apart from the Gandhis, the ED had named Congress Overseas chief Sam Pitroda, Suman Dubey, Sunil Bhandari, Young Indian, and Dotex Merchandise Private Limited as proposed accused in the case.

The high-profile matter revolves around allegations that senior Congress leaders conspired to illegally acquire control over assets worth more than Rs 2,000 crore belonging to Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), the original publisher of the National Herald newspaper. The acquisition was allegedly carried out through Young Indian, a company in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi are majority shareholders, for a nominal sum of Rs 50 lakh.

The ED contended that the case involved a “serious economic offence” and claimed that Young Indian was formed to usurp AJL’s assets, primarily to benefit top Congress leadership. The agency also alleged that several senior Congress leaders were involved in “fake transactions,” including fraudulent advance rent payments supported by fabricated receipts.

The Congress leadership has consistently denied the allegations, calling the money laundering case “strange” and “unprecedented.”

The controversy over National Herald’s assets first came into public focus in 2012 when BJP leader Subramanian Swamy filed a complaint in a trial court, alleging that Congress leaders engaged in cheating and breach of trust in acquiring AJL.

The upcoming hearing at the Delhi High Court is expected to examine the trial court’s rationale for refusing to take cognisance of the complaint and will determine the next legal course in this long-running case.

Team Maverick

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)