THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, April 12: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has initiated possession proceedings for immovable assets worth ₹661 crore linked to its money laundering investigation involving Associated Journals Limited (AJL), which is controlled by the Congress party.
ED has issued notices to property registrars in Delhi, Mumbai, and Lucknow for the takeover of assets valued at ₹661 crore.
The agency announced that notices were served to vacate the premises or, in the case of the Mumbai property, to transfer rent payments to the ED.
Affixation of these notices took place on Friday at three locations which include Herald House at Delhi’s ITO, a Bandra property in Mumbai, and an AJL building on Bisheshwar Nath Road in Lucknow.
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These properties were attached by the agency in November 2023.
According to the ED, the action follows the procedures outlined under Section 8 and Rule 5(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), under which assets previously attached and confirmed by the PMLA adjudicating authority are taken into possession.
The money laundering case targets both AJL and Young Indian Private Limited, the company that owns AJL and publishes the National Herald newspaper.
Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are the principal shareholders of Young Indian, each holding a 38% stake.
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The ED alleged that properties held by AJL and Young Indian were used to generate additional proceeds of crime, citing fraudulent donations worth ₹18 crore, fake advance rents totalling ₹38 crore, and fictitious advertisements amounting to ₹29 crore.
