Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Oct 25: A Special Delhi Court on Saturday adjourned the hearing in the National Herald money laundering case involving Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, setting October 30 to seek clarifications from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) before deciding on taking cognisance of the prosecution complaint.

The ED had alleged in July that the Gandhis attempted to misappropriate assets of Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of the National Herald, valued at around Rs 2,000 crore, through their majority stake in Young Indian Ltd by paying a nominal sum of Rs 50 lac. The agency claimed that Young Indian existed largely in name and that other accused acted under the direction of the Gandhi family.

During the proceedings, the court reviewed the case diary and sought additional details from the ED regarding the naming of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and others as proposed accused. The court had previously reserved its order on July 14 after hearing arguments from the ED and the Gandhis’ legal teams.

The ED contends that a conspiracy was hatched to acquire control over AJL’s assets and convert public trusts into personal property, involving “fake transactions” and fraudulent advance rent payments orchestrated by senior Congress leaders.

Defending the Gandhis, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi described the allegations as “strange” and emphasized that no tangible assets were involved. Rahul Gandhi’s counsel, R.S. Cheema, argued that the attempt to revive the historic newspaper was misconstrued as an effort to sell its assets, stressing the non-profit objectives of National Herald.

The case stems from a 2012 complaint by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who accused Congress leaders of cheating and breach of trust in the acquisition of AJL. The court’s decision on taking cognisance will follow once clarifications from the ED are received.