The National Herald case has taken another turn, and not in a way that helps Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi. Delhi Police has gone ahead and filed a fresh FIR against the two, adding one more layer to the ED investigation that has already been hanging over them for years now. What looked like a slow-moving case has suddenly picked up pace again.
Earlier this year, in April, the Enforcement Directorate had filed a chargesheet naming seven people. Sonia and Rahul were on that list too, tied to what the agency believes were financial irregularities connected to the old National Herald newspaper.
Officials following the matter say this new FIR fits into the larger money-laundering angle. The ED’s line has been that senior Congress leaders may have used their influence inside the party to benefit a private company linked to them, and the police seem to be examining that claim more closely now.
Serious Charges Added
Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing has booked the case under several IPC sections, including criminal conspiracy, dishonest misappropriation, criminal breach of trust and cheating. The FIR isn’t limited to the Gandhis either. Names like Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda appear in it, and so do companies such as Young Indian, Dotex Merchandise, and Associated Journals Ltd , the firm at the centre of the storm.
What the Dispute Is About
At the heart of this entire issue is the takeover of AJL, the company that once published the National Herald. The allegation is simple on the surface: Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, through their firm Young Indian, took control of AJL and, with it, the properties that were originally meant only for running a newspaper.
Subramanian Swamy, who filed the complaint, has argued that these properties were later used for things unrelated to journalism, which would break the original conditions under which they were allotted.
ED Questioning in the Past
Both Sonia and Rahul have already been questioned several times by the ED, and with this new FIR, it’s clear they’ll be facing more rounds in the coming months. Nothing about the case seems to be slowing down.
Now that both the ED and Delhi Police are moving at the same time, the case will likely run on two tracks. What that means politically is still unclear, but legally, it almost certainly means more trouble for the Congress leadership as the investigation widens.
