ED Moves to Seize Rs 661 Crore in AJL Case Linked to Congress; Rent from Herald House to Be Diverted to Agency

New Delhi: In a significant development in the money laundering probe involving Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has initiated the process to seize properties worth ₹661 crore, linked to the Congress party. On April 11, ED served formal notices to property registrars in Delhi, Mumbai, and Lucknow under Section 8 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, and Rule 5(1) of the related rules.

“As part of the process to take possession of the tainted properties in the Associated Journals Limited (AJL) money laundering case, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in compliance with Section 8 of PMLA, 2002 and Rule 5(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering (Taking Possession of Attached or Frozen Properties Confirmed by the Adjudicating Authority) Rules, 2013, on April 11 has served notices to Registrars of property in Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow having jurisdiction of the area where AJL properties are located,” the ED stated.

In addition, a notice under Rule 5(3) has been issued to Jindal South West Projects Limited, which occupies the 7th, 8th, and 9th floors of Herald House in Mumbai’s Bandra East. “The company has been directed to transfer monthly rent payments to the Director of the Enforcement Directorate,” the agency added.

The ED said the seized assets were part of a larger financial irregularity involving “significant generation, possession and use of proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs 988 crores.”

The proceedings against the accused have been challenged in court, but the investigation continues as courts have permitted further inquiry. ED teams have conducted multiple raids, leading to the recovery of “incriminating documents linked to the alleged money laundering activities.”

According to sources, the probe has revealed that Young Indian, a private entity allegedly controlled by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, acquired AJL’s properties—worth nearly ₹2,000 crore—for just ₹50 lakh, a move that massively undervalued the assets. ED’s findings also indicate that these properties were later used “for generation of further Proceeds of Crime in the form of bogus donations to the tune of Rs 18 crore, bogus advance rent to the tune of Rs 38 crore and bogus advertisements of Rs 29 crore.”