National Herald case: Delhi Court defers order on cognisance of ED chargesheet

A Delhi court on Tuesday deferred its decision on whether to take cognisance of the ED chargesheet in the National Herald case involving Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, listing the matter for August 7 and 8.

The order was initially reserved for July 29 by Special Judge Vishal Gogne, after day-to-day hearings on the matter of cognisance concluded earlier this month.

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Tuesday postponed its order on taking cognisance of the chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the National Herald case, listing the matter for August 7 and 8 to seek certain clarifications.

The order was initially reserved for July 29 by Special Judge Vishal Gogne, after day-to-day hearings on the matter of cognisance concluded earlier this month. The court had been hearing arguments from both the ED and the accused since July 2.

The chargesheet names Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, along with late leaders Motilal Vora and Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda, and entities Young Indian and Dotex Merchandise Pvt Ltd.

According to the ED, the accused were involved in a conspiracy and money laundering linked to the alleged fraudulent takeover of assets worth Rs 2,000 crore from Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), the publisher of the now-defunct National Herald newspaper. The agency claims that the Gandhis held a 76% stake in Young Indian, which acquired AJL's assets in lieu of a Rs 90 crore loan.