National Herald money laundering case legal proceedings

The National Herald money laundering case involving Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi has progressed through the Delhi High Court. Initially, the court postponed a hearing regarding the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) criminal revision petition, which challenged a special court’s refusal to take cognizance of a prosecution complaint under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The ED alleges that senior Congress leaders engaged in a criminal conspiracy to gain illegal control over assets worth over 2,000 crore rupees belonging to Associated Journals Limited (AJL) through Young Indian.

In response, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi filed a submission seeking the dismissal of the ED’s petition. They characterized the agency’s actions as a ‘misuse of the legal process’ and argued that the PMLA does not permit a ‘private complaint’ to serve as the basis for ED action. The Gandhis specifically challenged the use of a 2013 complaint by Dr. Subramanian Swamy as a foundation for the investigation, asserting that an FIR should have been a necessary prerequisite.