THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, Dec 16: Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Tuesday declined to take cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate’s money laundering chargesheet against Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, along with five others, in the National Herald case, prompting the agency to announce that it will challenge the order.
Special Judge Vishal Gogne observed that the ED’s chargesheet stems from a complaint filed by a private individual rather than an FIR relating to a scheduled or predicate offence, making cognisance legally untenable.
He further noted that the Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing has already registered an FIR in the case, and therefore any assessment of the ED’s arguments on merits would be premature at this stage.
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The ED has accused Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, the late Congress leaders Motilal Vora and Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda, and the company Young Indian of conspiracy and money laundering.
According to the agency, assets valued at around ₹2,000 crore belonging to Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of the National Herald newspaper, were unlawfully taken over.
The probe agency has also alleged that the Gandhis held a 76 per cent stake in Young Indian, which it claims wrongfully gained control of AJL’s properties in lieu of a ₹90 crore loan.
