Delhi: Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi received partial relief in the National Herald case after the Delhi High Court refused to consider the charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against them and five others. While the court dismissed the plea to act on the charge sheet at this stage, it clarified that the ED could continue its ongoing investigation into the matter.
The court noted that the ED had initiated the investigation based on a private complaint and filed the charge sheet accordingly. It emphasized that acting on the charge sheet at this stage would be premature, citing that the Delhi Economic Offences Wing (EOW) had already registered an FIR in the case. The court’s decision effectively prevents immediate legal action based solely on the ED’s charge sheet.
The case centers on a Rs 90 crore loan provided by the Congress party to the National Herald’s parent company, Associated Journals Limited (AJL), in exchange for which AJL assets came under party control. The ED alleges that Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, along with leaders Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandez, Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda, and the private company Young India, were involved in a conspiracy and money laundering scheme.
According to the ED charge sheet, Young India, in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi hold the majority stake, paid only Rs 50 lakh to the Congress party but gained control over AJL assets valued at around Rs 2,000 crore. Notably, Motilal Vora passed away in 2020, and Oscar Fernandez in 2021, leaving the remaining accused to face ongoing investigations.