New Delhi, Dec 16: A Delhi court on Tuesday refused to take cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate’s money laundering charges against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and five others in the National Herald case.
Special Judge Vishal Gogne observed that the chargesheet was based on a probe arising from a private complaint rather than an FIR of a predicate offence, making its cognisance “impermissible in law.”
Reading out the operative part of his order, the judge noted that the Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has already registered an FIR in connection with the matter. It would, therefore, be premature to examine the Enforcement Directorate’s arguments or evidence on merits at this stage, the court stated.
The ED had named Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, late Congress leaders Motilal Vora and Oscar Fernandes, along with Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda, and a private entity, Young Indian, accusing them of criminal conspiracy and money laundering in the case linked to the National Herald newspaper.
