Court Issues 'Right to Hearing' Notice to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in National Herald Case, Know What Was Said

New Delhi: Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Thursday issued a notice for hearing before taking cognizance of the chargesheet filed against senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and other persons in the National Herald money laundering case. The court emphasized that the accused have the right to preliminary hearing under section 223 of the Indian Civil Security Code (BNSS), as it is part of the pre-trial stage.

Emphasis on transparency in judicial process 

Special Judge Vishal Gogane said that the technical flaws in the chargesheet have already been removed and now the issue is whether the accused should be given an opportunity to be heard before summoning them. He said, "The right to be heard of the accused at this stage strengthens the fairness of justice." The court clarified that this stage is only a process of consideration, where the opinion of the accused is important.

Background to the allegations

This high-profile case is being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which began in 2021. Its basis is a private criminal complaint filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in 2014. In the complaint, the Gandhi family and the Congress leadership were accused of financial irregularities and criminal conspiracy through Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and Young Indian.

Relationship between AJL and Young Indian

The central point of the case relates to the acquisition of AJL, which once operated the National Herald newspaper. As per the allegations, the Congress gave an interest-free loan of Rs 90 crore to AJL, which was later transferred to Young Indian for a mere Rs 50 lakh. Both Sonia and Rahul Gandhi allegedly own 38-38% stake in Young Indian. This gave the company control over AJL's properties worth over Rs 2,000 crore, which are located in major cities of the country including Delhi, Lucknow and Mumbai.

ED allegations

The Enforcement Directorate has accused the Gandhi family of laundering about Rs 988 crore through this system. The ED claims that the real motive was to take advantage of the properties by showing Young Indian as a non-profit organization. Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Sam Pitroda and Suman Dubey have been made the main accused in the charge sheet.

Further hearings

The court clarified that during the next hearing on May 8, it will be decided whether to formally take cognizance of the charge sheet or not. If cognizance is taken, summons can be sent to the accused. This case can prove to be a turning point not only for the Congress party but also for the country's politics.