Senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said the National Herald case is a story of political vendetta and harassment. At the same time, Congress said that the law has spoken louder than the noise. Let us tell you that Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Tuesday has refused to take cognizance of the Enforcement Directorate (ED)’s petition related to allegations of money laundering in the National Herald case.
What did Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge say?
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said, these people are defaming our people by using agencies like ED, CBI. He has filed this case especially to harass the Gandhi family. Otherwise there is nothing in it. There is no FIR. Someone files a complaint and they take action on it. They oppress our people by trying to give strength to something that has no strength. Many leaders of our Congress party, 50 big leaders who do not sympathize with them, are harassing them by filing ED cases against them. By filing a money laundering case, he has attracted many people to his side. He has won many MPs on his side and formed governments at many places.
#WATCH Delhi , On National Herald case, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge says, “They are doing this for political vendetta. This case is only to trouble the Gandhi family. There is no FIR in this case…Our slogan is ‘Satyamev Jayate’, and we welcome the judgment in the… pic.twitter.com/ZetPQqecVW
— ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2025
Relief to Sonia and Rahul Gandhi from court
Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi got a big relief on Tuesday, when the court refused to take cognizance of the charge sheet filed against both of them by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). ED has made both the leaders accused in the money laundering case. In the chargesheet, Sonia and Rahul were accused of usurping assets worth Rs 2000 crore belonging to Associates Journal Limited (AJL).
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Along with this, the court allowed ED to continue its investigation and made it clear that it has the freedom to investigate further. Also said that the ED case is based on a private complaint filed by Subramanian Swamy and summoning orders of the Magistrate, and not on any FIR. However, the agency may continue to collect facts and evidence related to this case.
What is the National Herald case?
The country’s first Prime Minister Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru formed Associated Journal Limited i.e. AJL on 20 November 1937. Its objective was to publish newspapers in different languages. Then under AJL newspapers National Herald in English, Navjeevan in Hindi and Qaumi Awaaz in Urdu were published.
Even though Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru had a role in the formation of AJL, he never had ownership rights over it. Because, 5000 freedom fighters were supporting this company and they were also its shareholders. In the 90s, these newspapers started incurring losses. By 2008, AJL had a debt of more than Rs 90 crore. Then AJL decided that the newspapers would no longer be published. After stopping the publication of newspapers, AJL entered the property business. Let us tell you that Shanti Bhushan and Markandey Katju had shares in AJL in the name of their father.
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then a case was registered
In 2012, BJP leader and country’s renowned lawyer Subramanian Swamy filed a case against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes, journalist Suman Dubey and technocrat Sam Pitroda in the National Herald case. Then there was the Congress led UPA government at the centre. Subramanian Swamy claimed that Young India Limited wrongly acquired the assets of defunct print media outlets to gain assets and profits worth over Rs 2,000 crore.
Swamy also alleged that YIL had paid just Rs 50 lakh to acquire the rights to recover Rs 90.25 crore that AJL owed the Congress party. This amount was first given as a loan to start the newspaper. He also alleged that the loan given to Associate Journals Limited was illegal, as it was taken from party funds.
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