The Delhi High Court on Monday issued a notice to Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, and other accused in the National Herald case, seeking their reply following a plea by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) challenging a trial court order which refused to take cognisance of its chargesheet against them.
Appearing on behalf of the central probe agency, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the ED has completed its investigation in the case, collected evidence and has also conducted several searches pertaining to the matter. He said the lower court has made an error by refusing to cognisance of the ED chargesheet.
The court will further hear the matter on March 12, 2026.
Last week, the Gandhis had received a breather after the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi refused to take cognisance of the ED chargesheet in the case. Special Judge Vishal Gogne said the ED's chargesheet is 'not maintainable', as he dismissed the complaint. Apart from the Gandhis, the probe agency had mentioned Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda, Young Indian, Dotex Merchandise and Sunil Bhandari as the main accused.
It alleged that the accused had acquired properties worth approximately Rs 2,000 crore belonging to Associated Journals Limited (AJL), which publishes the National Herald newspaper. The Gandhis, the ED alleged, held around 76 per cent shares in Young Indian, which "fraudulently" usurped the AJL assets for a Rs 90 crore loan.
The Congress had welcomed the Rouse Avenue Court's move, while criticising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for 'exaggerating' the matter. "I had told the court that this a very weird case where there is not a millimeter movement of money, not a millimeter movement of immovable property, all the properties remain with AJL and there is money laundering," Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi had said.
However, the BJP said the Gandhis are still accused in the case and the court has not given a clean chit to the veteran Congress leaders. Speaking at a press conference last week, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia had alleged that there are a lot of evidences against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case.
