National Herald Case Update: Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi received a major relief today in the National Herald case. The court refused to hear Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) charge sheet. The Rouse Avenue Court also questioned the ED’s investigation in the matter and refused to provide Sonia Gandhi with a copy of the FIR. The FIR names Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and six others in connection with allegations of criminal conspiracy and financial irregularities.
National Herald Case Update
A Delhi court ruled on Tuesday that Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and several others are not entitled to receive a copy of the FIR filed against them by the Delhi Police in connection with the National Herald case. Special Judge Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Court, while setting aside a previous order passed by a magistrate court, ruled that the accused can only be informed about the registration of the FIR.
National Herald money laundering case | Delhi’s Rouse Avenue court said that the ED may continue the further investigation. However, the court said cognisance cannot be taken at this stage as the ED’s case is based on a private complaint filed by Subramanian Swamy and the…
— ANI (@ANI) December 16, 2025
Delhi Court Dismisses ED Complaint
This decision comes on an application filed by Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police, challenging a magistrate court’s order directing them to provide a copy of the FIR to the accused. The dispute stems from new FIR registered by the EOW on October 3, which has reignited a decade-old controversy surrounding the National Herald newspaper and its parent company, Associated Journals Limited (AJL).
National Herald Case Delhi court
The FIR was registered based on a complaint by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which had repeatedly investigated financial transactions and asset acquisitions related to AJL and its associated entities. The FIR accuses the Gandhi family and six others of hatching a criminal conspiracy to “fraudulently acquire” Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the parent company of now-defunct National Herald newspaper.
National Herald Case
Along with Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, FIR also names Sam Pitroda, Suman Dubey, and Sunil Bhandari, as well as three entities: Young Indian, Dotex Merchandise Private Limited, and AJL. According to court records, the police filed a copy of the FIR in the court of the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) on October 4. Two days later, the ACJM directed the police to inform the accused about the FIR and provide them with a copy. However, on October 8, the Delhi Police challenged this order, and Special Judge Vishal Gogne stayed the magistrate’s directions same day.
