A Delhi Court Friday summoned the balance sheets of Indian National Congress (INC) and Associated Journals Pvt Ltd (AJL) that was sought by complainant and BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in connection with the National Herald case in which Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi have been named as accused.
Accepting Swamy’s plea, Metropolitan Magistrate Lovleen sought the balance sheets of INC and AJL for the year 2010-11.
“At the very outset, this court must observe that the documents referred to in the present application belong to two separate entities — INC and AJL. By no stretch of imagination, the documents could be referred to as ‘personal documents’ of accused persons… Accordingly, it is directed that the balance sheet of INC pertaining to the year 2010-2011 be summoned on filing of process fee for the next date of hearing,” the magistrate ordered. The court will now hear the matter on March 21.
[related-post]
The order came after Swamy, in his plea, sought summoning of balance sheets, receipts and payments accounts, income and expenditure statements for 2010-2011, 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 of the INC and AJL. He had argued that these records were necessary to establish the method adopted by the accused for the purpose of extending loans to acquire AJL through Young India (YI).
Meanwhile, the court, while summoning the documents, said, “The complainant submits, upon inquiry, that the assignment of loan was done by the accused persons on December 27, 2010. In view thereof, the relevant records pertaining to the assignment of above-said loan by the Congress Party to YI are necessary for a just disposal of this case.”
“This court finds force in the submissions made by the complainant as under valuation of belongings of AJL is also one of the causes for which the accused persons are facing trial,” it added.
In the National Herald case, Swamy has alleged that Congress leaders were involved in cheating and breach of trust in the acquisition of AJL by YI, as assets worth crores had been transferred to YI. He has alleged that YI, which has Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi on its board of directors, took over assets of the defunct print media outlet in a “malicious” manner to gain profit and assets worth over Rs 2,000 crore. Apart from the Gandhis, Congress treasurer Motilal Vora, general secretary Oscar Fernandes, journalist Suman Dubey and technocrat Sam Pitroda were also named in the case.
As City Editor ( Delhi) at the Indian Express, Kaunain Sheriff leads city reporting with a sharp focus on accountability journalism, data-driven stories, and ground-level impact. As the National Health Editor he leads the newsroom’s in-depth coverage of pressing health issues.
He is the author of Johnson & Johnson Files: The Indian Secrets of a Global Giant, a definitive investigation into the accountability of one of the world’s most powerful pharmaceutical corporations.
Areas of Expertise
Investigative Reporting: Has deep expertise in investigative reporting spanning public health, regulatory affairs, drug safety, and the criminal justice system. His work sits at the intersection of governance, law, and accountability, with a particular focus on how regulatory failures, institutional lapses, and policy decisions affect citizens’ rights and safety.
Data Journalism: Has extensively on big data–driven investigations, including analyses of flagship government schemes and large datasets on criminal trials, uncovering systemic gaps.
Global Collaborations
Kaunain is a key contributor to major international journalistic projects:
The Implant Files: Collaborated with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) to expose global malpractices in the medical device industry.
Chinese Big-Data Investigation: Uncovered how a foreign data firm monitored thousands of prominent Indian institutions and individuals in real-time.
Awards & Recognition
His commitment to "Journalism of Courage" has been recognized with the industry's highest honors:
Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism
SOPA Award (Society of Publishers in Asia)
Red Ink Award (Mumbai Press Club)
Indian Express Excellence Awards (Triple recipient for investigations into the NSA abuse in UP, Vyapam scam, and the anti-Sikh riots).
Education: Studied Mechanical Engineering at Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), Bangalore, before moving to Delhi to pursue his passion for journalism. His engineering training informs his analytical approach, enabling him to decode technical, legal, and data-heavy systems with precision.
Social media
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kaunain-sheriff-3a00ab99
X ( fromerly Twitter): @kaunain_s ... Read More
BJP leader Subramanian Swamy.
