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News18
6 days ago
- Business
- News18
ED Did Nothing For 11 Years, Woke Up Suddenly: Sonia Gandhi To Court In National Herald Case
Last Updated: Congress claims ED did nothing for 11 years and suddenly acted in the National Herald case. Singhvi argues the money laundering case is unprecedented, with no property movement. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) did nothing for 11 years between 2010-2021 and has now woken up suddenly, senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Friday told a court during a hearing in the National Herald case. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who was representing Gandhi, began his rebuttal in the court of Special CBI Judge Vishal Gogne after Additional Solicitor General S V Raju for ED on July 3 concluded his arguments on the point of cognisance of the chargesheet filed in the case. Singhvi said that ED's money laundering case is truly 'strange" and it's 'unprecedented". 'It is alleged that this is a case of money laundering, without any money and property being moved, without any use or projection of property. Associated Journals Limited, which published the now-defunct National Herald newspaper, has had properties across India for decades, Sighvi said, adding that ownership of none of the properties has been changed. ED alleges Gandhis held the majority 76 per cent shares in Young Indian, which fraudulently usurped assets of AJL, in exchange for a Rs 90 crore loan. Singhvi, however, submitted that the exercise was undertaken to make AJL debt-free. 'Every company is entitled under law and does, every day, make their companies get free by a variety of instruments. So you take away the debt and assign it to another entity. So this company becomes debt free," Singhvi said. He said that Young Indian was a not-for-profit company. 'Means it cannot give dividends, it cannot give perks, it cannot give salaries, it cannot give those bonuses. It can give nothing," the senior lawyer argued. Singhvi said the ED did not do anything for several years and instead picked up a private complaint. 'They are, obviously people associated with the Congress. To have the National Herald in a body not associated with the Congress would be worse than having Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark," he said. Singhvi continued by mentioning the grounds on which the present court did not have the jurisdiction to try the case. The ED has accused Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, late Congress leaders Motilal Vora and Oscar Fernandes aside from Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda and a private company Young Indian of conspiracy and money laundering over the fraudulent takeover of properties valued over Rs 2,000 crore belonging to the Associated Journals Limited (AJL), which published National Herald newspaper. On July 3, Raju argued on the point of chargesheet's cognisance, saying the Gandhis were the 'beneficial owners" of Young Indian and acquired its total control after the death of other shareholders. The ED filed its chargesheet against the Gandhis and others under Sections 3 (money laundering) and 4 (punishment for money laundering) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The chargesheet also names Dudey, Pitroda, Sunil Bhandari, Young Indian, and Dotex Merchandise Private Limited. (With PTI inputs) view comments First Published: July 04, 2025, 15:51 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hans India
15-07-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Rouse Avenue Court reserves order in ‘National Herald' case
New Delhi: Delhi'sRouse Avenue Court has reserved its decision on whether to take cognizance of the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) prosecution complaint in the 'National Herald' case. Special Judge Vishal Gogne stated that the order will be pronounced on July 29. During the hearing, ED, represented by Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, alleged that donors to the Congress Party were misled and, in some cases, rewarded with political tickets. The agency rejected claims by the Gandhi family that they had no control over Associated Journals Limited (AJL), asserting that Young Indian Limited, which later acquired AJL, was a front to facilitate property transfer worth ₹2,000 crore by paying only ₹50 lakh. The ED further claimed that after the acquisition, the decision not to resume publication of the 'National Herald' raised suspicions about the intent behind the takeover. On the defence side, senior advocate RS Cheema, appearing for Rahul Gandhi, argued that the Congress did not attempt to sell AJL but rather aimed to preserve its legacy. He said AJL was founded in 1937 by key Congress leaders and had close historical ties to the party. Cheema questioned why the ED had not presented AJL's Memorandum of Association, which outlines its political affiliations. Earlier, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Sonia Gandhi, called the ED's case 'surprising' and claimed that it lacked any reference to property transactions, a key requirement in a money laundering case. He argued that Young Indian is a not-for-profit company and that its role was to relieve AJL of its debts, a common financial practice. The ED's arguments concluded on July 3, with ASG Raju reiterating that the case represented classic money laundering, accusing Young Indian of being created solely to launder criminal proceeds under the control of the Gandhi family. The ED had filed its prosecution complaint on April 15 under Sections 44 and 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, naming Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Sam Pitroda, and four others as accused. The case originated from a complaint by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who alleged that the transfer of AJL's assets — particularly the ₹1,600 crore Herald House building in Delhi — was part of a conspiracy to gain control of property meant for journalistic use. Swamy argued that the land was allotted for newspaper operations and cannot legally be used for commercial purposes. The court's decision on cognizance is scheduled for July 29.
Time of India
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Herald case: Court reserves order on taking cognisance of ED chargesheet
File photo NEW DELHI: The court of special judge Vishal Gogne reserved Monday its order on taking cognisance of the chargesheet filed by ED in National Herald money laundering case for July 29. ED has accused Sonia Gandhi , Rahul Gandhi , Sam Pitroda, late Congress functionaries Motilal Vora and Oscar Fernandes, and Young Indian Pvt Ltd, among others, of conspiracy and money laundering over the fraudulent takeover of properties valued at over Rs 2,000 crore belonging to Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), which published the newspaper, National Herald. Court directed ED to ensure presence of the investigating officer (IO) for inspection of case files, if required, between July 15 and 17. "It is directed that the proposed accused shall file a brief synopsis of their submissions, not exceeding three to four pages, by July 19," the court said. On Saturday, additional solicitor general SV Raju completed his rejoinder arguments, following which counsel for some accused commenced their clarificatory arguments, which were completed on Monday. The court was hearing submissions on the point of cognisance by ED and the proposed accused on a day-to-day basis from July 2 to 8. ED alleges that the Gandhis held a majority 76 per cent shares in Young Indian, which fraudulently usurped the assets of AJL in exchange for a Rs 90 crore loan. The chargesheet names Sonia, Rahul, Pitroda, Suman Dubey, Sunil Bhandari, Young Indian, and Dotex Merchandise.
Time of India
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
National Herald case: Court to decide on ED charge sheet against Sonia, Rahul Gandhi on July 29
A special court on Monday reserved its verdict on whether to take cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate 's (ED) money laundering complaint against senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi , Rahul Gandhi , and five others in the National Herald newspaper case. Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Court will pronounce the verdict on July 29. Representing the Gandhis, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued on July 4 that the ED's case is "truly a strange one," and "more than strange, unprecedented," highlighting that it's an alleged case of money laundering "without any property, without use or projection of property." Conversely, the federal agency's counsel contended it's a 'classic' case of money laundering. The ED alleges that the Gandhis held a 76% majority stake in Young Indian (YI), which purportedly usurped assets of Associated Journals Limited (AJL)-publisher of the National Herald-in exchange for a ₹90 crore loan. The agency argued that YI was used as a 'vehicle' to allegedly usurp AJL assets worth ₹2,000 crore. They further claimed that after acquiring AJL, the Gandhi-controlled Young Indian announced it would cease publishing the National Herald. The ED filed its complaint against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda, M/s Young India, M/s Dotex Merchandise, and Sunil Bhandari on April 9. The seven accused face charges of money laundering involving proceeds of crime with a current market value exceeding ₹5,000 crore.
Hans India
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Delhi court reserves verdict in National Herald case
New Delhi: A court here on Monday reserved its verdict on the question of taking cognisance of the prosecution complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the alleged National Herald money laundering case. The high-profile case lists Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress Overseas Chief Sam Pitroda, Suman Dubey, and others as accused under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). After hearing the arguments of the Central agency as well as the proposed accused, including the Gandhis, Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Courts listed the matter for pronouncing the order on July 29. During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S.V. Raju, representing the ED, claimed that Young Indian Ltd -- in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi are majority stakeholders – was used for usurping around Rs 2,000 crore assets of the National Herald by paying a nominal price of Rs 50 lakh. ASG Raju said that Young Indian exists just in name, and all the other accused are puppets of the Gandhi family. As per the ED, a conspiracy was hatched to form Young Indian to acquire control over the vast assets of the now-defunct newspaper, aimed at benefiting the top Congress leadership personally. The probe agency said that several senior Congress leaders were involved in "fake transactions' made to Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the original publisher of the National Herald. ASG Raju told the court that individuals were making fraudulent advance rent payments over several years at the direction of senior Congress functionaries with fabricated rent receipts. The ED's prosecution complaint claimed that by way of a malicious takeover, the Congress leadership had misappropriated property belonging to the AJL and converted public trusts into personal assets. On the other hand, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Sonia Gandhi, had described the money laundering allegations as 'really strange' and 'unprecedented', claiming that no tangible assets were involved. Further, Rahul Gandhi claimed that the All India Congress Committee's attempts to revive the pre-Independence era newspaper were misconstrued as a bid to sell its assets. Highlighting the non-profit objectives of the company, senior advocate R.S. Cheema, representing Rahul Gandhi, said the National Herald was never a commercial institution and the AICC just wanted to bring the newspaper back on the rails. The controversy over the National Herald's assets came into focus in 2012 when BJP leader Subramanian Swamy filed a complaint in a trial court, alleging that Congress leaders had engaged in cheating and breach of trust in the process of acquiring AJL.
