The matter of cognizance of the ED's chargesheet in the National Herald money laundering case has been deferred. The court will now pronounce its verdict on August 7. Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, along with 7 others, are accused.
National Herald Case: Today, i.e., Monday, the Rouse Avenue Court was scheduled to pronounce its decision on taking cognizance of the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) chargesheet in the National Herald money laundering case, but this order will not be issued now. The court has fixed the next hearing date as August 7. A total of 7 people, including Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, have been named as accused in the case.
If the court takes cognizance of the ED's chargesheet, summons will be issued to all the accused. This could increase the legal challenges for Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.
What is the case?
The main dispute in this case concerns the assets of Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the parent company of the National Herald newspaper. It is alleged that these assets were illegally acquired through Young Indian Private Limited (YIL). These allegations were first made in 2012 by BJP leader Dr. Subramanian Swamy. He accused Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, along with several senior Congress leaders, of corruption and money laundering.
Background of National Herald and AJL
The National Herald newspaper was founded in 1938 by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. This newspaper was published by Associated Journals Limited (AJL). AJL not only published the National Herald in English but also published newspapers in Hindi called 'Navjivan' and in Urdu called 'Qaumi Awaz'.
In 2008, due to financial constraints, AJL stopped publishing the newspaper. After this, AJL was left with immovable properties worth crores of rupees in cities like Delhi, Patna, Mumbai, and Bhopal. The Congress party had initially given a loan of ₹90 crore to AJL, which was later waived off.
ED's Allegation
The Enforcement Directorate has alleged that Young Indian company was created only for money laundering. It had no real charitable purpose. According to the ED, those who donated to the company had no information about its purpose.
This money was allegedly given on the instructions of senior Congress leaders. Through Young Indian, assets worth more than ₹800 crore of AJL were captured. The ED has claimed that there was no transparency in the company's operations and that it falls under the category of serious offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).