National Herald case: ED files fresh FIR with Delhi Police against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi

ED claims in the FIR against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and others that properties given at concessional rates for public welfare activities were illegally diverted for personal gain.

On April 9, the ED had filed a chargesheet against seven persons, including Sonia and Rahul, in connection with the case. Both Sonia and Rahul were questioned in 2022 as part of the probe. (File Photo)

Six months after filing a chargesheet against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, the Enforcement Directorate has filed a fresh case with the Delhi Police, levelling new allegations against them. The agency claims that government-allotted properties, originally granted to Associated Journals Limited (AJL) at concessional rates for public welfare, were diverted for private benefit.

On April 9, the ED filed a chargesheet against seven people, including Sonia and Rahul, in connection with the case. Both Sonia and Rahul were questioned in 2022 as part of the probe. The central agency had earlier served notices to take possession of immovable assets worth Rs 661 crore — in Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow — that it had attached as part of the money laundering probe against AJL, which publishes the National Herald newspaper, and Young Indian, which owns it.

The FIR, registered on October 3 by one Shiv Kumar Gupta, Assistant Director with the ED, mentioned names of Sonia and Rahul, Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda, Young Indian, Dotex Merchandise Pvt Ltd, Sunil Bhandari, Associated Journals Ltd and unknown people under Indian Penal Code Sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 403 (dishonest misappropriation of property), and 120-B (criminal conspiracy).

“The case enumerates the issue of government properties being allotted to AJL at subsidised rates for larger public purposes, only to be usurped and misused by the beneficial owners of Young Indian and thus represents a serious form of criminal conspiracy and financial fraud. These properties were given at concessional rates for public welfare activities, (and) have been illegally diverted for personal gain,” the FIR alleged.

“The prosecution complaint was already filed by the ED for commission of offences under PMLA pertaining to money laundering by the accused persons relating to the scheduled offences, inter-alia cheating and criminal conspiracy, by actually and knowingly involved in the process or activity connected with proceeds of crime derived or obtained by way of criminal activity relating to the scheduled offences of cheating and criminal conspiracy which led to the fraudulent takeover of the properties worth more than Rs 2,000 crore of market value of AJL, beneficially owned by Sonia and Rahul, for a paltry sum of Rs 50 lakhs only,” the FIR said.

“The accused persons have exploited these assets by engaging in fraudulent activities such as collecting bogus rents or generating fake revenue through sham advertisements, thereby laundering illicit money under the guise of legitimate transactions,” the FIR said.

The information reveals additional facts that disclose cognisable offences which are beyond the scope of the complaint of Subramanian Swamy and the cognisance order of a court dated June 26, the FIR added.

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