Delhi Court Holds Back on Issuing Notices in Gandhis' Money Laundering Case
Court in Delhi rejects ED's request for summons against Sonia and Rahul Gandhi in National Herald matter
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) got a cool response from a Delhi court on Friday, as it requested immediate notices to be served on Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in a money laundering case connected to the National Herald newspaper. The court delayed its decision due to a lack of sufficient documents presented by the ED.
The hearing centered around the ED's appeal, which argued that cognitive action on the complaint couldn't be taken without hearing the accused — as per the Prevention of Money Laundering Act provisions. In the ED's chargesheet, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi are tagged as accused numbers one and two, respectively.
"I don't want this order to be prolonged. Let notice be issued," ED communicated to the court. Judge Vishal Gogne, however, expressed his doubt about the necessity of serving immediate notices and highlighted the need to examine any deficiencies in the chargesheet.
"There are certain documents missing in the chargesheet, as pointed out by the Ahlmad (court record keeper). ED is ordered to file those documents. Following that, the court will decide on issuing notices to the accused," the court stated.
The ED vouched for its transparency and stated that it wasn't attempting to hide anything from the court. "We are not hiding anything. We are offering them an opportunity to present their side before cognitive action is taken," the agency asserted. Nevertheless, the court directed the ED to rectify a few defects in the chargesheet and supply more relevant documents before deciding on serving notices to the accused.
What's the skinny on the charges against the Gandhis?
Apart from Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, Sam Pitroda (head of the Congress party's overseas wing) and Suman Dubey (an ex-journalist assumed to be a close aide of the Gandhi family) are listed along with the accused as founding directors of Young Indian Private Limited (YI). Sonia and Rahul Gandhi jointly possess 76% of this company, which is now under legal scrutiny[1][2][3].
The ED has implicated the Gandhis as the real beneficiaries of YI. It claims that under suspicious circumstances, the company took over the assets of Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the parent company of the National Herald newspaper, for a mere ₹50 lakh. Per the ED, these assets were worth approximately ₹2,000 crore at the time and are now valued at around ₹5,000 crore[1].
The ED's charge sheet calculates proceeds from crime amounting to ₹988 crore. This includes real estate and other assets valued at ₹755 crore, shares worth ₹90 crore, and rent of ₹142 crore[1]. This rental income has been collected by AJL from properties in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Indore, Panchkula, Lucknow, and Patna, since YI took over the company in the financial year 2010-11[1].
(Contributions by ANI)
- National Herald
- Rahul Gandhi
- Enforcement Directorate
- Sonia Gandhi
Sources:[1] "ED charges Sonia, Rahul Gandhi in National Herald case." NDTV.com. https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/ed-charges-sheets-sonia-rahul-rahul-gandhi-gang-in-national-herald-case-raises-serious-allegations-against-opposition-leaders-2302644[2] "National Herald case: Contempt plea against ED, CBI for misleading SC." The Hindu. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/national-herald-case-contempt-plea-against-ed-cbi-for-misleading-supreme-court/article3878741.ece[3] "Young Indian didn't take over AJL... it bought shares for little over ₹50 lakh." Firstpost.com. https://www.firstpost.com/politics/young-indian-didnt-take-over-ajl-it-bought-shares-for-little-over-rs-50-lakh-9179471.html[4] "Review petition against Congress leaders in National Herald case dismissed by SC." The Tribune. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/review-petition-against-congress-leaders-in-national-herald-case-dismissed-by-sc-87923[5] "CAG Report on Sale of National Herald Land, Shops & Office by INC for Rs 50 lakh: Erroneous Claim, No Evidence." Factly. https://www.factly.in/cag-report-on-sale-of-national-herald-land-shops-office-by-inc-for-rs-50-lakh-erroneous-claim-no-evidence/
- The ED is accused of withholding information from the court in the money laundering case involving Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, who are the accused number one and two, respectively, in the Enforcement Directorate's chargesheet.
- Sam Pitroda, head of the Congress party's overseas wing, and Suman Dubey, an ex-journalist believed to be a close aide of the Gandhi family, are also listed among the accused and founding directors of Young Indian Private Limited (YI), a company in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi jointly own 76%.
- The ED has suspected that YI, which took over the assets of Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the parent company of the National Herald newspaper, for a mere ₹50 lakh, was actually a means for the Gandhis to benefit from assets worth approximately ₹2,000 crore at the time and now valued at around ₹5,000 crore.
- The ED's chargesheet indicates that the proceeds from crime amount to ₹988 crore, including real estate and other assets valued at ₹755 crore, shares worth ₹90 crore, and rent of ₹142 crore collected since YI took over AJL in 2010-11 from cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Indore, Panchkula, Lucknow, and Patna.
- In response to the ED's argument that cognitive action cannot be taken without hearing the accused as per the Prevention of Money Laundering Act provisions, the Delhi court has delayed issuing notices, asking the ED to file missing documents and rectify defects in the chargesheet before making a decision.
- As the money laundering case, connected to the National Herald newspaper and surrounding the Gandhis, unfolds, it adds to the ongoing discussions in India's political landscape, policy-and-legislation, and crime-and-justice spheres.
