The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday informed a court in New Delhi that the Congress party allegedly sought to usurp assets worth approximately ₹2,000 crore belonging to the now-defunct National Herald newspaper.
Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S.V. Raju, appearing for the ED, submitted before the Rouse Avenue Court that a conspiracy had been orchestrated to establish Young Indian Ltd &ndash; a company in which Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi hold a majority stake &ndash; with the aim of acquiring control over the newspaper&rsquo;s vast assets for the personal benefit of the party leadership.
ASG Raju further stated that several senior Congress leaders were involved in &ldquo;fabricated transactions&rdquo; with Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the original publisher of National Herald. According to the ED, individuals, allegedly acting under instructions from senior Congress functionaries, had made fraudulent advance rent payments spanning several years, backed by forged rent receipts.
Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne is currently hearing the alleged National Herald money laundering case on a day-to-day basis. The proceedings involve the ED and the proposed accused, including Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, Congress Overseas Department Chairman Sam Pitroda, and senior journalist Suman Dubey.
In an earlier hearing, ASG Raju had alleged that the Gandhis benefitted from ₹142 crore in &ldquo;proceeds of crime&rdquo;, and continued to derive financial advantage until the ED eventually attached the assets of National Herald. As per the agency, the offence of money laundering was committed not only at the point of acquiring these alleged proceeds but also through their continued possession.
Previously, the Rouse Avenue Court had directed the Gandhis and other accused individuals to explain why cognisance should not be taken of the ED&rsquo;s prosecution complaint filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The ED&rsquo;s charge sheet claimed that the Congress leadership had misappropriated property owned by AJL by converting public trust assets into private holdings.
National Herald, founded in 1938 by Jawaharlal Nehru and other senior leaders, was intended to represent the liberal voice within the Congress Party. Published by AJL, the paper was an influential mouthpiece during the independence movement and in the early post-independence years. In addition to its English edition, AJL also published newspapers in Hindi and Urdu.
However, publication ceased in 2008 due to accumulated debts of over ₹90 crore. The controversy surrounding its assets surfaced in 2012 when BJP leader Subramanian Swamy filed a complaint in a trial court, alleging cheating and breach of trust by Congress leaders during the acquisition of AJL.
During the investigation, the ED alleged that Sonia and Rahul Gandhi had used Young Indian to take control of AJL&rsquo;s assets for a nominal sum of ₹50 lakh. The agency asserted that the Gandhis, as beneficial owners of Young Indian, had effectively gained control of AJL&rsquo;s properties at a gross undervaluation of their market worth.
In November 2023, the ED attached immovable properties valued at ₹661 crore and AJL shares worth ₹90.2 crore, identifying them as suspected proceeds of crime.
&nbsp;(Apart from the headline, this article has not been edited by Benefit News editorial team and is published from an IANS news feed.)
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UPA leader Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi

Gandhis, Congress leaders accused of laundering AJL properties via Young Indian firm

ED Alleges Congress Tried to Usurp ₹2,000 Cr Assets

Gandhis, Congress leaders accused of laundering AJL properties via Young Indian firm

July 2, 2025 | 22:21 IST