Delhi: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police has registered a new FIR against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, alleging criminal conspiracy in the controversial takeover of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), the former publisher of the National Herald. The case has been filed based on findings shared by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which has been probing alleged money laundering linked to the transaction for several years.
According to the FIR dated October 3, investigators claim that AJL was effectively taken over through Young Indian — a company in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi jointly hold 76% stake. The complaint handed over by the ED’s Headquarters Investigative Unit cites information collected under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The ED’s probe spans the period from 2008 to 2024 and is rooted in a private complaint filed by former BJP MP Subramanian Swamy. A Delhi court had taken cognisance of that complaint in June 2014, enabling the agency to investigate alleged financial irregularities tied to AJL and its properties. Earlier this year, the ED submitted a prosecution complaint before the special court for MPs and MLAs, though the court has yet to take cognisance.
The fresh FIR names Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and three others, including Indian Overseas Congress chairperson Sam Pitroda. It also lists AJL, Young Indian and Dotex Merchandise Pvt Ltd — the latter described in the ED complaint as a Kolkata-based shell company that allegedly provided ₹1 crore to Young Indian. Out of this amount, ₹50 lakh was reportedly paid to the Congress, which investigators claim facilitated Young Indian’s eventual control of AJL’s assets, estimated at nearly ₹2,000 crore.
Reacting to the FIR, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla launched a sharp attack on the Congress leadership, calling it “the most corrupt family” and accusing the party of treating corruption as its “birthright”. He said that whenever action is initiated, the Congress plays the “victim card,” adding that the National Herald case is a “classic example of zameen chori.”
