National Herald Case: The Enforcement Directorate ED filed the first charge sheet on Tuesday in the Money Laundering case related to the National Herald Newspaper of Congress and Associated Journal Limited (AJL), including the names of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Sam Pitroda and Suman Dubey. The case will be heard on 25 April at Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi.
The court has also sought a case diary of the case from ED. In 2012, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy complained about the case against Sonia, Rahul and people associated with their allies. Action was taken to seize the attachment properties during the investigation on 12 April 2025. ED had issued a notice to capture immovable properties worth Rs 661 crore in Delhi, Lucknow and Mumbai. Earlier on Tuesday, MP Priyanka Gandhi’s husband Robert Vadra reached the office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), where he was questioned in the Shikohpur land scam in Gurugram.
The Congress has described this action as a politics of revenge. Jairam Ramesh wrote, ‘Seizing the property of National Herald is a state -sponsored offense wearing a mask of rule of law. Filing a charge sheet against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and some others is nothing but the politics and threat of revenge from the Prime Minister and the Home Minister. However, the Congress and its leadership will not remain silent. Satyamev Jayate.’
In June 2022, Rahul Gandhi was questioned 50 hours in 5 days in the National Herald case. Then on 21 July 2022, in the National Herald case, Sonia Gandhi had 12 hours of questions in 3 days. During this time more than 100 questions were raised to him. The ED also questioned Rahul Gandhi for more than 50 hours in five days in June.
Know what is the National Herald case
BJP leader Subramanian Swamy filed a petition in Delhi’s Patiala House Court in 2012 and accused Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Congress of Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandez, Sam Pitroda and Suman Dubey of grabbing the ongoing National Herald newspaper through cheating and money manipulation. According to the allegation, the Congress leaders created the Young Indian Limited Organization to capture the properties of the National Herald and through it illegally acquired the Associated Journal Limited (AJL) publishing the National Herald. Swami alleged that this was done to capture the Rs 2000 crore building of Herald House on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg in Delhi.
Subramanian Swamy had demanded a criminal trial against other senior leaders of the Congress, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, for purchasing a company worth Rs 2000 crore for only Rs 50 lakh. June 2014, the court issued summons against Sonia, Rahul and other accused. In August 2014, the ED registered a case of money laundering taking action in this case. In December 2015, the Patiala court of Delhi granted bail to all the accused including Sonia, Rahul.