National Herald case: Delhi court defers proceedings till Nov 7

New Delhi, Oct 30 (IANS) A Special Delhi Court, hearing the money laundering case linked to the National Herald, has deferred the proceedings till November 7, seeking clarifications from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on certain aspects of its chargesheet filed against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, among others.

Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne, presiding over the matter at Rouse Avenue Court, said the clarifications were necessary before the court could proceed to take cognisance of the prosecution complaint filed by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The case, which stems from the ED’s allegations that top Congress leaders conspired to acquire control over the assets of Associated Journals Limited (AJL) -- the publisher of the National Herald newspaper -- remains at the pre-cognisance stage.

In the previous hearing, the court had also directed the central agency to provide additional details regarding certain aspects of its investigation before any decision on taking cognisance could be made.

The ED, in its prosecution complaint, has accused Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and other senior Congress leaders of being involved in a conspiracy to usurp properties worth over Rs 2,000 crore belonging to AJL through Young Indian Pvt Ltd, a company in which the Gandhis hold a majority stake.

The Rouse Avenue Court had reserved its order on July 14 after hearing detailed arguments from the federal anti-money laundering agency as well as the proposed accused, including the Gandhis.

Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Sonia Gandhi, had described the money laundering allegations as "really strange" and "unprecedented", claiming that no tangible assets were involved.

Further, Rahul Gandhi claimed that the All India Congress Committee's attempts to revive the pre-Independence era newspaper were "misconstrued" as a bid to sell its assets.

Highlighting the non-profit objectives of the company, senior advocate R.S. Cheema, representing Rahul Gandhi, said National Herald was never a commercial institution and the AICC just wanted to bring the newspaper back on the rails.

The controversy surrounding the National Herald's assets first surfaced in 2012 when BJP leader Subramanian Swamy filed a complaint in a trial court, accusing Congress leaders of cheating and breach of trust in the acquisition of AJL.

--IANS

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