Sonia and Rahul Gandhi file response in National Herald case

Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have filed a response in the Delhi High Court regarding the National Herald case, seeking the dismissal of a petition filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The Gandhis have characterized the ED's actions as a ‘misuse of the legal process.’

In their submission, they argued that the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) does not allow a ‘private complaint’ to serve as a basis for ED action. They specifically challenged the legal validity of using a 2013 complaint by Dr. Subramanian Swamy as a foundation for a money laundering investigation, noting that the ED’s own internal records and previous stances suggested that a First Information Report (FIR) was a necessary prerequisite for such proceedings.

The Gandhis also questioned the timing of the ED's legal challenge, noting it was filed within 24 hours of a trial court order, a move they claim bypassed standard internal approval processes. The ED alleges that the Gandhi family, alongside other Congress officials, engaged in a criminal conspiracy to seize assets worth 2,000 crore rupees belonging to Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of the National Herald newspaper.