Rahul Gandhi is being questioned by three officers in the ED office in the National Herald case. Congress leaders who came out of the Congress headquarters after marching on foot with Rahul were stopped a kilometer away , later they sat on a ‘Dharna’ on the road itself. Congress leader MP Randeep Singh Surjewala and others are taken into custody by the police.
Before arriving at the ED office, Rahul and Priyanka reached the Congress headquarters and held a meeting with the party leaders. After which, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel along with party MPs and other leaders left for the ED office on foot. The police stopped the Congress march by putting up barricades and the leaders were not allowed to go ahead. Rahul Gandhi reached the ED headquarters with Priyanka by car.
There is a three-layer security cordon near the ED office. The police stopped the Congress march near the first circle. Here the congress party workers also clashed with the police. Earlier on Monday morning, Congress workers, who were protesting against the investigation of Rahul Gandhi, were detained by the Delhi Police from the Congress headquarters. The police had taken the Congressmen in a bus. In view of the performance of the Congress, the Delhi Police had sealed the road from the Congress headquarters to the ED office. Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said in protest against the questioning of Rahul Gandhi – There was no scam in National Herald. National Herald Company has cleared the dues of Young India Company and paid the salaries of the employees. We have not sold the government properties of India like the BJP government.
Let’s get in depth of the matter :
in 1938, the Congress Party formed Associate Journals Limited (AJL). Under this, the National Herald newspaper was brought out. At that time AJL had a debt of more than 90 crores and another company named young India Limited was formed to eliminate this. the share of Rahul and Sonia had a share of 38%. Each.
9 crore shares of AJL were given to Young India. It was said that Young India would pay the liabilities of AJL in lieu of this, but due to the high stake, Young India got the ownership rights. The loan of 90 crores given by Congress to meet the liabilities of AJL was also waived off later.
There is an allegation of misappropriation of 55 crores.
In 2012, Subramanian Swamy had filed a case against Sonia and Rahul in the court. In this, Swamy had accused the Gandhi family of misappropriation of 55 crores. However, the ED's entry in this case took place in the year 2015.
What happened in the case so far
- On 1 November 2012, Subramanian Swamy filed a case in Delhi Court, in which apart from Sonia-Rahul, Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda were made accused. All of them are associated with Congress.
- On 26 June 2014, the Metropolitan Magistrate issued summons against all the accused including Sonia-Rahul.
- On August 1, 2014, the ED took cognizance of the matter and registered a money laundering case.
- In May 2019, ED seized assets worth 64 crores related to this case.
- On 19 December 2015, Delhi Patiala Court granted bail to all the accused including Sonia, Rahul in this case.
- On 9 September 2018, the Delhi High Court gave a blow to Sonia and Rahul in this case. The court had dismissed the petition against the notice of the Income Tax Department.
- The Congress challenged this in the Supreme Court as well, but on December 4, 2018, the court said that the Income Tax investigation would continue. However, no order will be passed till the next hearing.