National Herald case intensifies as ED files fresh FIR against Sonia and Rahul Gandhi

In a dramatic intensification of the ongoing National Herald investigation, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered a fresh First Information Report (FIR) with the Delhi Police against Congress stalwarts Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, along with several others.

The new FIR alleges a brazen criminal conspiracy involving the diversion of government-allotted properties intended for public welfare into private hands, causing a massive financial fraud.

The fresh case, filed on October 3 by Shiv Kumar Gupta, Assistant Director at the ED, targets not only Sonia and Rahul Gandhi but also names Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda, Young Indian, Dotex Merchandise Pvt Ltd, Sunil Bhandari, and Associated Journals Limited (AJL) — the entity originally granted these properties at concessional rates.

The FIR charges the accused under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including cheating, criminal breach of trust, dishonest misappropriation of property, and criminal conspiracy.

According to the ED, government properties valued at over ₹2,000 crore, allocated to AJL at subsidized rates for public welfare activities, were illicitly usurped by the beneficial owners of Young Indian — Sonia and Rahul Gandhi — for a nominal sum of just ₹50 lakh.

The FIR exposes a sophisticated scheme where these assets were exploited through sham transactions, including bogus rent collection and fake advertisement revenues, to launder illicit funds under the façade of legitimate business.

This fresh FIR follows the chargesheet filed by the ED in April, which had already implicated seven individuals, including the Gandhi duo, and involved the attachment of immovable assets worth ₹661 crore across Delhi, Mumbai, and Lucknow. Both Sonia and Rahul Gandhi were interrogated as part of the investigation in 2022.

“The properties allotted to AJL for larger public purposes have been diverted and misused for personal gain by the accused, representing a grave criminal conspiracy and financial fraud,” the FIR states. It further alleges that the new facts revealed in the investigation go beyond previous complaints and court orders, underscoring the gravity and complexity of the case.

With this development, the National Herald case has entered a new, more intense phase, shining a harsh spotlight on alleged corruption at the highest levels of Indian politics and deepening scrutiny on the Gandhi family's dealings.