Sonia, Rahul Gandhi named in ED chargesheet in National Herald money laundering case

In a major development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday filed a chargesheet against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Sam Pitroda, head of the party’s overseas unit, in connection with the alleged National Herald money laundering case. A special court has scheduled the hearing for April 25.

#WATCH | West Bengal: ED filed prosecution complaint in Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court against Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and others in the alleged National Herald money laundering case

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury says, "This is PM Modi's conspiracy to destroy the… pic.twitter.com/tWG79lVrPJ

— ANI (@ANI) April 15, 2025

Special Judge Vishal Gogne stated that the case will next be heard for the court to consider taking cognisance, and directed the ED's special counsel and investigating officer to produce the case diaries for review.

This marks the first time Sonia and Rahul Gandhi have been formally chargesheeted in this matter.

While the Gandhis have yet to respond, senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury called the move a "political conspiracy" orchestrated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "We are not afraid of the BJP or PM Modi. This is a clear attempt to weaken the Congress, but we will fight back," Chowdhury asserted.

Rs 661 Crore Worth of Properties Targeted

The chargesheet follows ED notices issued last Saturday to take possession of immovable properties valued at ₹661 crore. These assets, attached in November 2023, include properties in Delhi, Mumbai’s Bandra, and Lucknow’s AJL building. Notably, this includes the iconic National Herald House on Delhi’s Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg.

The ED began investigating the case in 2021, based on a 2014 Patiala House Court order acting on a private complaint by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy. Swamy alleged a conspiracy by senior Congress leaders and Young Indian Pvt Ltd — a company where Sonia and Rahul Gandhi reportedly each hold 38% shares — to fraudulently acquire Associated Journals Limited (AJL) properties valued over ₹2,000 crore.

AJL publishes the National Herald newspaper and is owned by Young Indian.

Robert Vadra Also Questioned

On the same day the chargesheet was filed, businessman Robert Vadra, husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi’s brother-in-law, was questioned by the ED in a separate money laundering case linked to a land deal in Haryana.

Vadra, accompanied by Congress supporters chanting slogans against the government, dismissed the allegations as politically motivated. “This is nothing but political vendetta,” Vadra said, adding that he has always cooperated with investigators.

The case relates to Vadra’s company, Skylight Hospitality, purchasing land in 2008 for ₹7.5 crore, securing permits for a housing project, and later selling the land to real estate major DLF for ₹58 crore. At the time, the Congress was in power in Haryana, but both the party and then-Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda have denied any irregularities.

Opposition parties, including the Congress, have repeatedly accused the Modi government of using central agencies like the ED to target political rivals, especially in the run-up to elections.