National Herald Case: ED Alleges Rahul, Sonia Gandhi Acquired ₹2,000 Cr Assets for ₹50 Lakh
Rahul and Sonia Gandhi are accused by the ED of acquiring National Herald’s Rs. 2,000 crore properties for just Rs. 50 lakh through Young Indian, sparking a major money laundering case.
National Herald Case
National Herald Case
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has told a Delhi court that Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi took control of properties worth Rs. 2,000 crore by paying only Rs. 50 lakh in the National Herald case. The ED made these claims before Special Judge Vishal Gogne at the Rouse Avenue Court on Wednesday.
According to the ED, the properties were owned by Associated Journals Limited (AJL), which published the National Herald newspaper. AJL was founded in 1938 by India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and other Congress leaders to support India’s freedom movement. After independence, the Central and State governments gave AJL properties in several cities like Delhi, Lucknow, Patna, Bhopal, Panchkula, and others for newspaper printing and related activities.
The ED has alleged that after the Congress party gave a loan of Rs. 90 crore to AJL to pay off its debts, a company called Young Indian took over this loan by paying only Rs. 50 lakh. Young Indian is a not-for-profit company controlled by Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, who together hold 76% of its shares.
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The ED claims that after Young Indian took over the loan, it also took over 99% of AJL’s shares, effectively gaining control of all the properties that belonged to AJL. The ED argued that Young Indian declared it would not continue any newspaper publication, which, according to them, shows the takeover was done only to acquire the valuable properties of AJL.
The ED, represented by Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, said in court that close associates of the Gandhi family were appointed as directors in AJL after this takeover, and fraudulent transactions were carried out to gain control of the properties.
The National Herald case started when former Union Minister Subramanian Swamy filed a complaint in 2012, accusing Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and others of criminal conspiracy, cheating, and misappropriation of property in the way they took over AJL using Young Indian.
The court is now hearing whether to take cognisance of the ED’s prosecution complaint filed in April 2025. The ED wants the court to begin a formal trial against the Gandhis and others in this high-profile case.
The hearing in the case will continue on Thursday, where the ED will present more details of its investigation.
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