THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, May 8: Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court today deferred the hearing in the National Herald money laundering case involving Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to May 21 and 22, following procedural delays concerning a co-accused.
Special Judge Vishal Gogne noted that since co-accused Sam Pitroda had only been served notice via email earlier in the day, it would be more appropriate to consider the cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) chargesheet on the next date.
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The case, which stems from a 2014 private complaint by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, alleges a criminal conspiracy involving the fraudulent acquisition of over ₹2,000 crore worth of assets of Associated Journals Limited.
The ED began its investigation in 2021, later filing a chargesheet under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The court had earlier, on May 2, issued notices to Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, along with Congress leaders Sam Pitroda and Suman Dubey, businessman Sunil Bhandari, Dotex Merchandise Pvt Ltd, and Young Indian—a company in which the Gandhis hold 76% of the shares jointly. They were also questioned for several hours by the ED in earlier stages of the probe.
Judge Gogne emphasized the importance of ensuring all accused are heard before proceeding further, saying, “Right to be heard at any stage breathes life into fair trial.”
