The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a chargesheet against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald money laundering case, naming them as accused numbers 1 and 2 respectively. The chargesheet alleges that the Gandhis orchestrated a "criminal conspiracy" to unlawfully acquire assets of Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of the National Herald newspaper, by transferring 99% of AJL’s shares for just Rs 50 lakh to a private company, Young Indian, controlled by Sonia and Rahul. The current market value of these assets is estimated at Rs 5,000 crore, with the ED identifying proceeds of crime worth Rs 988 crore.
Besides Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, the chargesheet also names Congress leaders Sam Pitroda and Suman Dubey, as well as companies Young Indian and Dotex Merchandise Pvt Ltd, and individual Sunil Bhandari. The ED has invoked sections 44 and 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for money laundering offences under Section 3, along with Section 70 related to offences by companies, seeking punishment under Section 4 of the PMLA, which carries a jail term of up to seven years.
The case stems from a 2013 petition filed by former minister Subramanian Swamy, leading to a trial court order permitting the Income Tax Department to investigate the National Herald’s affairs and conduct tax assessments of the Gandhis. The ED’s investigation has included multiple rounds of questioning of Sonia, Rahul, and other Congress leaders.
A special court is scheduled to decide on taking cognisance of the chargesheet on April 25, 2025. The Congress party has condemned the chargesheet as “politics of vendetta and intimidation” and plans protests across the country. Meanwhile, the ED has initiated proceedings to take possession of immovable assets worth Rs 661 crore linked to AJL and Young Indian in Mumbai, Delhi, and Lucknow.