New Delhi, Dec 22 (NationPress) The Delhi High Court is scheduled to deliberate today on a criminal revision petition submitted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is contesting a trial court's decision that declined to acknowledge its money laundering complaint against Sonia Gandhi, the Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, and Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, along with others involved in the purported National Herald controversy.

According to the causelist available on the Delhi High Court website, a single-judge Bench presided over by Justice Ravinder Dudeja will review the ED's appeal against the ruling from the Rouse Avenue Court, which rejected the prosecution complaint filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Previously, Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Court had chosen not to acknowledge the ED's complaint, stating it was not legally maintainable.

While providing relief to both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, the court made it clear that the ED was authorized to pursue its investigation in compliance with the law. Besides the Gandhis, the ED included Sam Pitroda, the head of Congress Overseas, as well as Suman Dubey, Sunil Bhandari, Young Indian, and Dotex Merchandise Private Limited as proposed defendants in the case.

This high-profile matter pertains to allegations that senior leaders of the Congress orchestrated a scheme to unlawfully gain control over assets exceeding Rs 2,000 crore from Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), the original publisher of the National Herald newspaper, by disbursing a mere Rs 50 lakh through Young Indian, a company predominantly owned by Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.

The ED contended that the situation involved a serious economic offense and accused the involved parties of conspiring to create Young Indian to seize AJL's assets for an insignificant amount, mainly to benefit the upper echelons of Congress leadership.

Additionally, it alleged that multiple senior Congress figures participated in fraudulent transactions, including the creation of fake advance rent payments supported by fabricated receipts. The Congress leadership has continuously refuted these accusations, dismissing the money laundering case as “absurd” and “unprecedented”.

The issue surrounding the National Herald assets gained traction in 2012 when BJP leader Subramanian Swamy lodged a complaint in a trial court, alleging that Congress leaders had committed cheating and breach of trust in their acquisition of AJL.