ED Initiates Seizure of Rs 700 Crore Assets Linked to National Herald Case

 New Delhi, April 12, 2025 – The Enforcement Directorate (ED) announced on Saturday the commencement of proceedings to seize properties valued at over Rs 700 crore belonging to Associated Journals Limited (AJL), a company closely associated with Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, in connection with the National Herald case. The assets, which include prime real estate in Delhi, Mumbai, and Lucknow, notably the iconic Herald House on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg in the capital, are central to the agency’s ongoing money laundering investigation.

The ED’s action is being executed under Section 8 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, and aligns with the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering (Taking Possession of Attached or Frozen Properties) Rules, 2013. The properties were initially attached by the agency in November 2023 as part of its probe into alleged financial irregularities involving AJL and Young Indian, a private company in which Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi each hold a 38% stake, establishing them as majority shareholders.

The investigation centers on AJL, the entity responsible for publishing the National Herald newspaper. The ED has alleged that Young Indian and AJL properties were instrumental in generating further proceeds of crime, including fictitious donations amounting to Rs 18 crore, bogus advance rent totaling Rs 38 crore, and fraudulent advertisements valued at Rs 29 crore. These claims form the basis of the agency’s case against the entities and their leadership.

As the ED moves forward with the asset seizure, the development marks a significant escalation in the long-running legal and financial scrutiny surrounding the National Herald case. The agency’s actions are likely to intensify political discourse, with implications for the Congress leadership as the investigation progresses.