Sonia Gandhi, Rahul and Sam Pitroda’s Names Included in ED’s Chargesheet in National Herald Case

On Tuesday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a chargesheet against Congress MPs Sonia Gandhi and leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi in the alleged money laundering case linked to the National Herald. Reacting to the situation, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of doing “vendetta politics” by using state agencies to “intimidate” opposition leaders.

Besides, Indian Overseas Congress president Sam Pitroda, Suman Dubey and others have been named in the chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court, where the case is scheduled to be heard on April 25.

On April 11, the ED issued notices to property registrars in Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow where properties of Associated Journals Limited (AJL) are located – acquired by Young Indian Limited (YIL), a company owned by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

According to the ED, the attachment follows investigations that revealed alleged laundering of criminal proceeds of Rs 988 crore linked to Associated Journals Limited (AJL) properties. The proceedings were initiated after a tribunal recently confirmed an earlier provisional attachment of the properties.

National Herald was an important newspaper founded in 1938 by the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, along with other freedom fighters. It was aimed at voicing the concerns of the liberal brigade in the Congress.

Published by Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the newspaper became the party’s mouthpiece after independence in 1947. AJL also published two other newspapers, one in Hindi and one in Urdu. In 2008, the newspaper shut down with a debt of over Rs 90 crore.

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