&nbsp;
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday disclosed that it has served notices to take possession of immovable assets valued at ₹661 crore, previously attached as part of its money laundering investigation into the Congress-affiliated National Herald newspaper and the Associated Journals Limited (AJL).
According to an official statement from the federal agency, relevant documents have been served to the registrars of properties where the assets are situated. Simultaneously, possession notices were affixed on prominent parts of the properties at three locations: Herald House at 5A, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg in Delhi; Plot No 2, Survey No 341 in the Bandra(E) area of Mumbai; and Property No.1 on Bisheshwar Nath Road in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.&nbsp;
The notices were posted on Friday and seek the vacation of the premises to enable the ED to take them over.
Additionally, a notice was served to Jindal South West Projects Limited, which occupies the 7th, 8th, and 9th floors of Herald House in Bandra (E), Mumbai. The company has been directed to transfer monthly rent or lease payments to the Director of Enforcement.
The ED&rsquo;s action has been taken under Section 8 and Rule 5(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which outline the procedure for taking possession of assets that have been attached and whose attachment has been confirmed by the Adjudicating Authority under the Act.
The assets, worth ₹661 crore, were attached in November 2023 as part of measures to "secure the proceeds of crime and to prevent the accused from dissipating the same."&nbsp;
In addition to these immovable properties, the ED had also attached shares of AJL valued at ₹90.2 crore. The Adjudicating Authority confirmed the attachment order in April 2024. The ED stated that the total proceeds of crime in the case amount to ₹988 crore.
The Congress party had earlier described the investigation as "petty vendetta tactics" and labelled the ED as a "coalition partner" of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The ED&rsquo;s investigation was initiated in 2021 following the cognisance taken by the Metropolitan Magistrate at Patiala House Courts, Delhi, of a private complaint filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on June 26, 2014.&nbsp;
The complaint alleged a &ldquo;criminal conspiracy&rdquo; involving several senior Congress figures, including party president Sonia Gandhi and her son, Member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi. Other named individuals included the late Congress leaders Motilal Vora and Oscar Fernandes, as well as Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda, and a private company named Young Indian.
According to the ED, the complaint concerned a money laundering scheme related to the fraudulent acquisition of properties belonging to AJL, valued at over ₹2,000 crore.
"The legal proceedings against the accused have faced challenges but have been upheld by both the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India, allowing the investigation to proceed," the agency said in its statement.
AJL, which publishes the National Herald newspaper and web portal, is owned by Young Indian Private Limited. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi each hold a 38% share in Young Indian and were questioned by the ED for several hours in connection with the case.
The ED claims that its investigation has &ldquo;conclusively&rdquo; established that Young Indian, described as &ldquo;beneficially owned&rdquo; by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, acquired AJL&rsquo;s properties worth ₹2,000 crore for only ₹50 lakh, thereby substantially undervaluing the assets.
The agency further alleged that Young Indian and AJL properties were used to generate additional proceeds of crime, including bogus donations amounting to ₹18 crore, bogus advance rent worth ₹38 crore, and bogus advertisements totalling ₹29 crore.
&nbsp;
<ins><a href="https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb34ERXCnA7lrMp57S3N" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="content">Follow the&nbsp;Benefit News&nbsp;channel on WhatsApp</a></ins>
&nbsp;

ED targets AJL’s immovable assets worth Rs 661 crore as part of its probe into National Herald money trail

ED Moves to Take Over National Herald Linked Assets

ED targets AJL’s immovable assets worth Rs 661 crore as part of its probe into National Herald money trail

April 12, 2025 | 18:58 IST