New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken possession of immovable assets valued at over Rs 661 crore in connection with the ongoing money laundering probe involving the National Herald case. According to an official statement, the agency has issued notices to property registrars in Delhi, Mumbai, and Lucknow, directing them to formalize the takeover of the identified properties.
The action follows an in-depth investigation by the ED, which uncovered proceeds of crime amounting to Rs 988 crore. The seizure aims to secure these assets and prevent their potential disposal by those under scrutiny.
The case centers around alleged financial misconduct and fund misappropriation related to the acquisition of Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the company that formerly published the National Herald newspaper.
ED officials allege that Young Indian, a private firm allegedly controlled by former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and current Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, acquired AJL’s assets—estimated to be worth Rs 2,000 crore—for just Rs 50 lakh. The agency initiated its investigation in 2021, following a 2014 order of cognizance by the Metropolitan Magistrate of the Patiala House Courts in New Delhi.
The development marks a significant escalation in the high-profile case, which continues to draw political and public attention nationwide.
