A Delhi court has reserved its verdict on whether to take cognisance of the supplementary chargesheet in the National Herald case, which alleges money‑laundering against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. The court heard arguments on whether the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) filed material raises sufficient grounds to initiate prosecutorial proceedings.
After hearing submissions from both the ED and the defence, the judge deferred the decision on cognisance to July 29. Once delivered, the ruling will determine whether the allegations will proceed to trial or be dismissed.
What is National Herald case?
The National Herald case is a politically sensitive and high-profile money laundering investigation involving senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. The core of the case lies in the alleged misuse of funds and undervaluation of assets linked to Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of the now-defunct National Herald newspaper.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) contends that the Gandhis, through their control of Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YIL), acquired AJL’s assets estimated to be worth over Rs 2,000 crore for just ₹50 lakh, using the deal as a vehicle for laundering money and gaining control over prime real estate in Delhi, Mumbai, and Lucknow.
The case began with a 2014 complaint by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who accused the Gandhis of criminal conspiracy, cheating, and breach of trust. In 2025, the ED filed a supplementary chargesheet formally naming Sonia and Rahul Gandhi as accused. The ED’s investigation has since led to the provisional attachment of several AJL properties and raised serious questions about financial irregularities within the Congress party’s ecosystem.