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ED Files Historic Charge Sheet Against Sonia and Rahul Gandhi in National Herald Money Laundering Case
In a significant move, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed its first-ever charge sheet against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, accusing them of involvement in a massive money laundering operation connected to the National Herald newspaper.
Filed on April 9 before a Delhi court, the charge sheet names Sonia and Rahul Gandhi as Accused Nos. 1 and 2 under Sections 3, 4, and 70 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). These sections deal with money laundering offenses, which could attract up to seven years of imprisonment upon conviction.
Also named in the charge sheet are Sam Pitroda, head of Congress’ international wing, and Suman Dubey, a close associate of the Gandhis. Both are founding directors of Young Indian Pvt. Ltd. (YI)—a firm in which the Gandhis collectively hold 76% stake. The company itself, along with Kolkata-based Dotex Merchandise Pvt Ltd and its director Sunil Bhandari, have also been implicated.
According to the ED, YI acquired Associated Journals Limited (AJL)—the publisher of National Herald—for a mere ₹50 lakh, even though AJL’s assets are estimated to be worth over ₹5,000 crore in today’s market. The agency claims this acquisition enabled the Gandhis to gain beneficial ownership of vast real estate holdings in prime locations across Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Indore, Panchkula, and Patna.
The ED has identified proceeds of crime worth ₹988 crore, which include:
- ₹755 crore in real estate assets,
- ₹90 crore in shares,
- ₹142 crore in rental income earned since 2010–11.
These developments stem from a probe initiated in 2021, based on a 2014 private complaint filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy. The case gained momentum after ED attached assets worth ₹751.9 crore in November 2023. On April 11, just two days after the charge sheet filing, ED also issued notices to seize immovable assets belonging to AJL and YI worth ₹661 crore.
Both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were earlier questioned extensively by ED—Sonia for 11 hours over three days in July 2022, and Rahul for 40 hours across four sittings in June 2022. They were interrogated about their control over YI, a ₹90.21 crore loan from the Congress party to AJL, and real estate developments in Mumbai.
The Congress party has strongly condemned the charge sheet, branding it “political vendetta” orchestrated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Party leader Jairam Ramesh called it an “attack on democracy”, saying, “The INC and its leadership will not be silenced. Satyameva Jayate.”
AJL, originally founded in 1937 by Jawaharlal Nehru, published the National Herald, Qaumi Awaz (Urdu), and Navjeevan (Hindi). The publication was shut down in 2008 due to heavy debts. In 2010, YI took over AJL by paying ₹50 lakh against Congress loans worth ₹90 crore. ED claims AJL restarted limited operations in 2016 solely to give the appearance of legitimacy amid legal scrutiny.
The case will come up for cognizance before the Special MP/MLA court at Rouse Avenue on April 25, while the next hearing in Subramanian Swamy’s private complaint is scheduled for August 2, 2025.
