Delhi Court Ruling: No FIR Copy for Gandhis in National Herald Case

A Delhi court ruled that Congress leaders, including Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, cannot obtain a copy of the FIR concerning the National Herald case. The ruling followed the Economic Offences Wing's petition challenging an earlier order. Allegations against the Gandhis involve asset transfer and financial irregularities.

In a significant development, a Delhi sessions court has declared that prominent Congress figures, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, along with other accused parties, will not receive copies of the FIR in the National Herald case. The order, delivered by Sessions Judge Vishal Gogne, overturns a prior magistrate's directive that mandated furnishing FIR copies to the accused. Instead, the ruling allows only for informing the concerned individuals about the FIR's registration, without providing a copy at this stage.

This decision comes amid a criminal revision petition brought by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police, opposing the magistrate's earlier order. The case revolves around an FIR lodged by the EOW, linked to the longstanding National Herald affair. The FIR, filed on a complaint from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), implicates several key figures in alleged criminal conspiracy and financial misdeeds involving Associated Journals Limited (AJL), famously associated with the National Herald newspaper's publication.

The allegations point to a questionable 2010 transaction, where AJL's substantial assets, valued over ₹988 crore, reportedly shifted to Young Indian, a company with a significant stake held by the Gandhis. Additionally, a ₹90.21 crore loan agreement between the All India Congress Committee and Young Indian has come under scrutiny. Amidst these developments, the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi has declined to consider the ED's chargesheet on money laundering charges, citing procedural grounds related to its origination from a private complaint by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy.

(With inputs from agencies.)