A Delhi court on Monday reserved its order on whether to take cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) money laundering complaint against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and five others in connection with the National Herald case.

Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne of Rouse Avenue Courts said the order will be pronounced on July 29.

The prosecution complaint, filed by the ED on April 15, names not just the Gandhis but also Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda, Young Indian, Dotex Merchandise, and Sunil Bhandari as proposed accused.

According to the ED, the alleged offence stems from a criminal conspiracy to fraudulently acquire properties of Associated Journals Limited (AJL)—publisher of National Herald—valued at over ₹2,000 crore. The agency has claimed that Young Indian, a company in which the Gandhis are majority shareholders, acquired AJL’s assets illegally through a transfer of shares, thereby generating "proceeds of crime."

The case is an offshoot of a private complaint filed by former Union Minister Subramanian Swamy, who accused the Gandhis and others of cheating, criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, and misappropriation of property.

The Congress leaders, however, have strongly denied the allegations, calling the case "strange and unprecedented." They have contended that the transaction was aimed at clearing AJL's debt and that no personal gain or criminal intent can be attributed. They argue there was no use or projection of property as proceeds of crime, a key component required for a money laundering offence.

Legal Representation

The ED was represented by Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, along with Special Counsel Zoheb Hossain, Special Public Prosecutor NK Matta, and a team of advocates including Harsh Paul Singh, Annam Venkatesh, Vivek Gurnani, Hitarh Raja, and others.

Senior Advocate Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi, along with a legal team including Tarannum Cheema and Kanishka Singh, appeared for Sonia Gandhi.

Senior Advocate RS Cheema led Rahul Gandhi’s defence, supported by the same team.

Other accused were represented as follows:

• Suman Dubey: Advocates Sushil Bajaj, Alka Chohar, Aashish Chohar, Akshya Nagarajan

• Sam Pitroda: Advocates Kuber Boddh, Manica Singh Avijit, Somya Dhawan

• Young Indian: Senior Advocate Madhav Khurana and team

• Dotex Merchandise: Senior Advocate Pramod Kumar Dubey, supported by advocates including Gautam Khazanchi, Vaibhav Dubey

• Sunil Bhandari: Advocates Sowjhanya Shankaran, Siddharth Satija, Akash Sachan, Anuka Bhachawat

The case continues to be a politically sensitive and closely watched matter. The court’s decision on cognisance will now be delivered on July 29.