New Delhi: In a significant development in the long-running National Herald money-laundering case, a Delhi court on Monday refused to take cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) chargesheet at this stage, granting temporary relief to Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
The Rouse Avenue Court ruled that it would not proceed with the ED’s complaint for now against the Gandhis and five other proposed accused. The court observed that the ED’s probe is rooted in a private complaint rather than an FIR, making the chargesheet not maintainable at this juncture.
Special Judge Vishal Gogne noted that the case originates from a complaint filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, and not from a police-registered FIR — a key procedural issue that weighed heavily in the court’s decision.
“National Herald Case Baseless”
◆ Court refuses hearing on ED’s charge sheet, listen to what Supreme Court Lawyer Shri @DrAMSinghvi Abhishek Manu Singhvi said on this#NationalHerald || National Herald Sonia Rahul Gandhi @divya_news24
— Eldho Jobi 07 ( INC ) (@07Eldho) December 16, 2025
Apart from Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, the ED has named Congress Overseas Chief Sam Pitroda, Suman Dubey, Sunil Bhandari, Young Indian, and Dotex Merchandise Pvt Ltd as proposed accused under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The case centres on allegations that senior Congress leaders conspired to acquire assets worth over ₹2,000 crore belonging to Associated Journals Limited (AJL) — the publisher of the National Herald — by routing a payment of ₹50 lakh through Young Indian, a company in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi hold a majority stake.
The court also held that the accused, including the Gandhis, are not entitled to a copy of the FIR at this stage, according to a report by The Times of India. However, it clarified that the ED is free to continue its investigation in the matter.
सत्य विचलित हो सकता है पराजित नहीं….!
नेशनल हेराल्ड मामले में पूर्व कांग्रेस अध्यक्षा श्रीमती सोनिया गांधी जी और नेता प्रतिपक्ष श्री राहुल गांधी जी के खिलाफ दाख़िल ED की चार्जशीट पर दिल्ली की अदालत ने संज्ञान लेने से इंकार कर दिया।
मोदी सरकार की बदनीयत और गैरकानूनी तरीके से… pic.twitter.com/Uzo3Z14pdx
— Amit Sharma Ghaziabad (@ghaziabad_amit) December 16, 2025
Reacting to the order, the Congress welcomed the decision, posting on X: “Truth has triumphed. The malicious and illegal actions of the Modi government have been completely exposed.”
The National Herald case, under scrutiny for several years, involves allegations of money laundering and criminal conspiracy linked to the takeover of AJL assets through Young Indian — charges the Congress leadership has consistently denied.
