National Herald: ED claims Gandhis acquired Rs 2,000-cr firm for Rs 50 lakh

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday told a Delhi court that Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi acquired control of a company holding assets worth over Rs 2,000 crore for just Rs 50 lakh.

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The allegation was made during a hearing at the Rouse Avenue Courts, where the court is deciding whether to take cognisance of the ED’s prosecution complaint in the National Herald money laundering case. A special court has now commenced daily hearings in the matter, with both Sonia and Rahul Gandhi named as accused.

Appearing before Special Judge Vishal Gogne, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju claimed the Gandhis, through their control of a firm called Young Indian, effectively took over Associated Journals Limited (AJL) — the publisher of the now-defunct National Herald newspaper — at a fraction of its actual value.

According to the ED, AJL owns prime real estate across several cities, including Delhi, Lucknow, Bhopal, Indore, Panchkula and Patna. These properties were originally allotted by government agencies post-Independence exclusively for newspaper publishing.

After Young Indian took control, it reportedly declared it would not undertake any publication activities, including that of National Herald. Raju further told the court that individuals close to the Gandhi family were appointed as AJL directors soon after the acquisition — allegedly structured through financial transactions aimed at concealing the transfer of valuable assets. The ED claims these actions amount to criminal misconduct.

The prosecution complaint, which also names Sam Pitroda and others, was filed on April 15, 2025. The hearing will resume on Thursday.