ED Levels Sensational Allegations Against Sonia and Rahul

The Enforcement Directorate has made explosive allegations against senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case. The ED claimed that the two leaders benefited by Rs 142 crore through assets linked to the National Herald. These claims were presented on Wednesday before a special court in Delhi. Appearing on behalf of the ED, Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju argued that Sonia and Rahul continued to benefit from the proceeds of crime until November 2023, when properties worth Rs 751.9 crore associated with the case were seized.

Both leaders were earlier questioned by the ED in connection with a money laundering case linked to the National Herald, which was allegedly run with foreign funds. Although the CBI had initially started a parallel investigation, it was later dropped midway, while the ED probe continued. In November 2023, the ED began the process of taking possession of properties worth Rs 661 crore belonging to Associated Journals Limited and issued notices accordingly. 

So far, the ED has seized assets worth nearly Rs 751.9 crore linked to AJL and Young Indian. The agency also directed current tenants of these properties to pay rent to the government. The seizure was carried out under Section 5 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, in accordance with Section 8 of the same act.

The National Herald newspaper was founded in 1938 by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and was published by AJL. The newspaper was shut down following the 2008 financial crisis, which is when the controversy began. In 2010, a company called Young Indian Pvt. Ltd.  was formed, with Sonia and Rahul Gandhi each holding a 38% stake. In 2012, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy filed a case alleging that YIL had fraudulently acquired AJL’s assets—valued at over Rs 2,000 crore—for just Rs 50 lakh.

The ED s chargesheet has sparked a strong response from the Congress party. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took to social media, accusing the Prime Minister and the Home Minister of engaging in "vendetta politics" by filing a chargesheet against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and other party leaders. He asserted that the Indian National Congress would not stay silent, concluding his post with:  Satyameva Jayate.