National Herald case: ED begins take over process of assets linked to Sonia, Rahul Gandhi

On April 11, the agency issued notices to property registrars in Delhi, Mumbai, and Lucknow, where assets of Associated Journals Limited (AJL) are located.

AJL was acquired by Young Indian Limited (YIL), a firm said to be beneficially owned by Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, reported India Today.

The case centres on allegations of financial misconduct and fund misappropriation tied to the takeover of AJL—which formerly published the National Herald—by YIL.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who lodged the original complaint, has alleged that Young Indian gained control of AJL’s properties “in a malicious manner” and aimed to capture assets exceeding ₹2,000 crore.

As per the ED, the agency’s move follows findings that point to the laundering of ₹988 crore in proceeds of crime linked to AJL’s assets.

The action comes in the wake of a recent order from an Adjudicating Authority, which upheld the ED’s earlier provisional attachment of the properties.

In November 2023, the ED had provisionally attached immovable properties in Delhi, Mumbai, and Lucknow, collectively valued at ₹661 crore, along with AJL shares worth ₹90.2 crore. This attachment was formally confirmed on April 10.

A separate notice has also been served to Jindal South West Projects, which currently occupies three floors in Herald House, Mumbai.

The company has been instructed to route all future rent payments directly to the ED.

The agency maintains that the assets were unlawfully acquired and laundered through a politically driven financial arrangement involving top Congress leaders.

The ED launched its investigation in 2021, following a private criminal complaint filed by Subramanian Swamy in 2014 before a Delhi court.

The complaint accused Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and other senior Congress figures of engineering a fraudulent acquisition of AJL’s property—valued at over ₹2,000 crore—via Young Indian for just ₹50 lakh.

Despite facing legal opposition, both the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court allowed the probe to continue.

The ED has since carried out searches at multiple locations and claims to have uncovered documents indicating further financial discrepancies.

According to the agency, the AJL-Young Indian arrangement was allegedly used to mobilise illicit funds through bogus donations amounting to ₹18 crore, ₹38 crore in advance rent, and ₹29 crore from advertisements.

Officials said the current move is intended to block any continued usage or revenue generation from these allegedly tainted assets.