Delhi Police has filed an FIR against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and others in the National Herald case based on a complaint by the ED, alleging money laundering and abuse of position for personal gains.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) will file a fresh charge sheet against Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald money laundering case after taking cognisance of the latest Delhi Police FIR.
The Delhi High Court has scheduled a hearing for March 9 on the Enforcement Directorate's plea challenging a trial court order that refused to acknowledge its chargesheet against Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald money laundering case.
The Enforcement Directorate 'simply inverted the template' of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by registering a first information report (FIR) in 2021, a Delhi court on Tuesday said while refusing to take cognisance of the ED's money laundering charge against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case.
The agency has questioned the trial court's findings and sought appellate review, arguing that the refusal to proceed has caused serious prejudice to the investigation and prosecution.
The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday said it had filed a chargesheet on April 9 in a money laundering case related to the National Herald newspaper. Apart from Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, the chargesheet also names senior Congress leaders Sam Pitroda and Suman Dubey as co-accused.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Sonia Gandhi, argued that the Enforcement Directorate's National Herald case is 'truly a strange' one, citing the absence of property or its use in the alleged money laundering.
The ED has accused Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, as well as late party leaders Motilal Vora and Oscar Fernandes, along with Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda, and a private company, Young Indian, of conspiracy and money laundering.
What is the National Herald case all about? Here's a ready reckoner.
The Delhi high court on Monday asked Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others to respond to a plea by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) challenging the order of the trial court that refused to take cognisance of its chargesheet against them in the National Herald case.
The high court was hearing a plea moved by Swamy seeking to lead evidence before the trial court in the National Herald case, in which the Gandhis and others are accused.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a chargesheet in the Associated Journals Limited-Young Indian-National Herald money-laundering case, seeking confiscation of assets worth Rs 661 crore and appending statements of Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. The agency has accused the Gandhis of orchestrating a conspiracy to illegally obtain the underlying assets of AJL by the beneficial owners of YI (Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi). Both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have denied any wrongdoing and said the takeover of Associated Journals Limited (AJL) by Young Indian (YI) was not for commercial purposes. The Congress has slammed the chargesheet, alleging that the ED action against its leaders shows panic and moral bankruptcy of the "despotic" government, while the BJP has continued to call out the role of the Gandhi family in the matter.
Hooda, who as the chief minister was the ex officio chairman of the Haryana Urban Development Authority, has been accused of illegally transferring land to Associated Journals Ltd, which published the newspaper, at Panchkula in 2005.
Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are majority shareholders of Young Indian with 38 per cent shares held by each one of them. They were questioned for hours by the ED in this case a few years back.
"I am going to keep asking exactly the same questions I have been asking. I am going to put pressure on the government and I will continue to do my job," said the Congress leader.
The party has asked all its leaders to be present with their supporters.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a chargesheet against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and others on charges of money laundering in the National Herald case. The chargesheet, filed on April 9, names Congress leaders Sam Pitroda and Suman Dubey as accused persons. The case pertains to the alleged fraudulent takeover of properties valued over Rs 2,000 crore belonging to the Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of the National Herald news platform. The ED alleges that Young Indian, a private company "beneficially owned" by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, "acquired" AJL properties for a mere Rs 50 lakh, significantly undervaluing its worth. The case has been transferred to Special Judge Vishal Gogne's court for further proceedings.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday accused the government of vindictiveness in the wake of an income tax notice in the National Herald case, asserting that such "political witch hunting will only help us come back".
Combative Congress members, upset over the National Herald case, on Tuesday paralysed Parliament protesting against alleged "vendetta politics" leading to repeated adjournments in the Lok Sabha as well as Rajya Sabha.
He also rejected all charges of alleged cheating and siphoning off money by Congress in the matter.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi also issued notice to the Centre's Land and Development Office on the plea of the AJL, publisher of the National Herald.
Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar on Monday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate in Delhi for a fresh round of questioning in the National Herald money laundering case.
Sonia and Rahul Gandhi moved the SC on Thursday against a Delhi HC decision that dismissed their appeals seeking a quashing of summons in the National Herald case.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alleged that some Congress leaders pressured individuals to donate funds to the Young Indian and Associated Journals Limited (AJL) on instructions from senior party functionaries. The ED's chargesheet in the National Herald case claims that these individuals made payments to the company "under the influence" from senior leaders who promised them "certain favours" in party politics. The chargesheet, filed on April 9 before a local court, names Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi as accused, along with five others, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The agency alleges that these donations were not made voluntarily but in expectation of political benefits. The ED also found that YI and AJL received funds from various entities through "quid pro quo" arrangements, where individuals were asked to make payments for advertisements in the National Herald in exchange for past favours from Congress leaders.
The Congress party in India has condemned the seizure of assets belonging to the National Herald, a newspaper founded by Jawaharlal Nehru, and announced nationwide protests against the action. The party's general secretary, KC Venugopal, described the action as "draconian" and said it was a politically motivated attempt to silence the opposition. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a chargesheet against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, among others, on charges of money laundering in the case. The Congress has called for protests in front of ED offices across the country on Wednesday.
The HC rejected the appeal of AJL in which it had challenged the Centre's decision asking it to vacate the ITO premises.
The Delhi High Court has on Monday extended the stay on the trial court order summoning Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and 3 others in the National Herald case till the final disposal of their appeals against their summons.
It has also sought stay on operation of single judge's December 21, 2018 order.
The Congress chief and her son were given bail on furnishing a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and one surety each. Three others including Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes and Suman Dubey were also granted bail.
Accusing the government of spreading misinformation in the National Herald case, the Congress said it was proud to be associated with the newspaper that stood up in pre-independence times against the British for throttling free speech, similar to the present day climate.
In a stinging attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government, Shiv Sena member of Parliament Sanjay Raut on Sunday said it wouldn't be surprising if the Enforcement Directorate issues summons against former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru in the National Herald newspaper case and paste the notice on his memorial.
The opposition party also vowed to expose the "vendetta politics" against its leadership, asserting that the Congress cadre is agitated and is going to show its strength against the "misuse of agencies."
Congress President Sonia Gandhi, and Vice President Rahul Gandhi were on Thursday summoned by a local court as accused in a criminal complaint lodged by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy for alleged cheating and misappropriation of funds in acquiring ownership of now-defunct daily National Herald.
The other two accused in National Herald case are Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi, but they had not moved the high court against summoning of the documents and balance sheet.
Congress members, shouting slogans against the government, trooped into the well shouting slogans like "Modi teri tanashahi nahi chalegi".
The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday carried out raids at the office of Young Indian and questioned Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge for more than seven hours as part of an ongoing money laundering probe linked to the National Herald case, officials said.
While the Congress alleged that the Modi government was indulging in political vendetta, the Bharatiya Janata Party claimed that it is a legal matter.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday temporarily sealed the premises of Young Indian (YI) in the Congress-owned National Herald office in Delhi as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation, official sources said.
He said National Herald is a not-for-profit organisation and not a paisa can be taken out.
'I have issued an order for the formation of an inquiry committee to probe into the land allotted to the National Herald in Press Complex Bhopal, where commercial buildings have come up by violating the rules,' Madhya Pradesh Urban Administration Minister Bhupendra Singh tweeted on Friday.
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