The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued orders to take possession of properties worth Rs 661 crore in a money laundering case related to Associated Journals Limited (AJL), a company linked to the Congress party. The assets include Herald House in Delhi, a property in Mumbai’s Bandra, and another in Lucknow. These were initially attached by the ED in November 2023 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and the attachment was officially confirmed in April 2024 by the Adjudicating Authority.
The ED began investigating the case in 2021 following a 2014 complaint by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy. The complaint accuses Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi of criminal conspiracy and misappropriating AJL assets worth over Rs 2,000 crore. The core allegation is that Young Indian Private Limited—a company in which both Gandhis hold a 38% stake—acquired AJL’s assets through fraudulent means, gaining control over significant real estate properties.
AJL, founded in 1937 to run the National Herald newspaper, had stopped publication but continued to own valuable properties. In 2010, Young Indian was formed and took over AJL’s debts and assets. Critics argue this move was aimed at capturing AJL’s properties, originally allotted for journalistic use. The Congress party, however, denies any wrongdoing, claiming the move was intended to revive the National Herald and not for commercial gain.
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