National Herald Case: Delhi High Court Issues Notice to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi

Delhi: The Delhi High Court has issued notices to Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and other accused persons accused in the National Herald money laundering case. The top court has sought responses on an appeal filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) challenging the trial court order dismissing its money laundering complaint.

Reportedly, a bench headed by Justice Ravindra Dudeja also issued notice on the ED’s application seeking a stay on the December 16 order of the trial court. The High Court has asked the respondents to file their replies and listed the matter for further hearing.

A further hearing of the case has been scheduled for March 12, 2026.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, along with Special Public Prosecutor Zoeb Hussain and advocates Vivek Gurnani and Kartik Sabharwal, appeared for the ED, while Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, assisted by advocates Sumit Kumar and Nikhil Bhalla, represented the Gandhi family.

The Solicitor General placed a detailed factual chronology before the court. He argued that the trial court erred in law by failing to appreciate that cognizance taken by a competent court on a  private complainant carries a higher legal standing than a mere FIR, where cognizance may still be refused even after a chargesheet is filed.

He further argued that the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) needs the existence of a scheduled offence and does not mandate that such an offence must originate from a police FIR. He stressed that the issue warrants examination and said that he was prepared to satisfy the Court and sought issuance of notice.

It may be mentioned that, a Delhi court on December 16 declined to take cognizance of the ED’s money laundering case against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and five others in the case. However, the court clarified that the central agency is free to continue its investigation. The court also ruled that Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, are not entitled to receive a copy of the First Information Report (FIR) registered against them by the Delhi Police in connection with the matter.

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