A Delhi court on Friday issued a notice to Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and others regarding the chargesheet filed against them by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the National Herald money laundering case.
Special Judge Vishal Gogne said that Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and other proposed accused have the “right to be heard” at the time of cognisance of the chargesheet.
He also underscored that this right is fundamental to ensuring a fair trial, making the issuance of the notice necessary, while scheduling the next hearing for the case on May 8.
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Earlier, ED filed a charge sheet on April 9 against former Congress presidents Sonia and Rahul Gandhi in connection with its ₹988-crore money laundering probe in the National Herald case.
The charge sheet, filed under sections 3 (money laundering) and 4 (punishment for money laundering) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), names Sonia and Rahul Gandhi as accused number 1 and 2, respectively.
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Besides the Gandhis, ED has also named overseas Congress head Sam Pitroda and former journalist Suman Dubey in the charge sheet, along with the Young Indian Private Limited (YI) — a firm in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi together hold 76% stake.
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ED has claimed that Gandhis are beneficial owners of YI, which acquired the assets of the National Herald’s parent company Associated Journals Limited (AJL), worth ₹2,000 crore, for a mere ₹50 lakh. The agency further claimed to have identified proceeds of crime worth ₹988 crore in the case.
The Congress has termed the charge sheet “political vendetta”.