New Delhi: In a significant development in the long-running National Herald case, the Delhi Police have formally registered an FIR naming Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, acting on a complaint forwarded by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The move marks a new phase in the money-laundering investigation surrounding the financial dealings of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) and its acquisition by Young Indian (YI).
According to official sources, the complaint was filed by the Economic Offences Wing on October 3 and lists nine accused, including senior Congress functionaries Sam Pitroda and Suman Dubey, as well as companies Young Indian, Dotex Merchandise Pvt. Ltd., and Associated Journals Ltd. The FIR invokes charges of criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, cheating, and misappropriation under several sections of the Indian Penal Code.
The allegations mirror those raised by the ED in its chargesheet submitted earlier this year before a Delhi court, which is scheduled to review the matter on December 16. Investigators have accused the Gandhis and other Congress-linked figures of orchestrating a scheme to gain control of AJL and its assets—valued at over ₹2,000 crore—through Young Indian for just ₹50 lakh. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi each hold a 38 percent stake in the company.
Officials familiar with the matter said the ED exercised its authority under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to share evidence with the police, enabling the registration of the predicate offences necessary to advance the money-laundering case.
The origins of the investigation date back to a 2014 complaint filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who alleged irregularities in the transfer of AJL’s properties and questioned the role of senior Congress leaders in the process. The ED has maintained in its filings that Young Indian was “beneficially owned” by the Gandhis and that public funds were diverted for their personal benefit through the company.
The Congress party has repeatedly dismissed the case as politically motivated, accusing the ruling BJP of weaponising investigative agencies. Party leaders have described the ED’s involvement as part of a “vendetta campaign” designed to target the opposition.
Both Sonia and Rahul Gandhi were questioned extensively by the ED in earlier rounds of the inquiry. The latest FIR is expected to bolster the central agency’s case as it seeks to secure further scrutiny from the court in the coming months.
