New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has issued notices to Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and five others, on a plea filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), seeking a stay on a trial court order in the alleged National Herald money laundering case.
The court has listed the matter for hearing on March 12, 2026.
The ED challenged the trial court’s decision refusing to take cognisance of its money laundering complaint. The agency has alleged that the accused acquired assets worth Rs 2,000 crore for Rs 50 lakh.
The matter is being heard by Justice Ravinder Dudeja. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared for the Enforcement Directorate and began placing a factual chronology of the case before the court.
During the proceedings, Mehta argued that the court had failed to recognise that the relevant court had already taken cognisance of the private complaint made by Dr Subramaniam Swamy in the National Herald case, and subsequent challenges made against the cognisance, have also been rejected by the Supreme Court, as reported by Hindustan Times.
“…the trial court’s order brings PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) on its head and could have a wider impact on other cases,” the SG argued.
Mehta submitted that the agency’s actions could not be restricted only to cases where an FIR has been lodged as a predicate offence, highlighting that in several instances, FIR may not be registered because the scheduled offence is non-cognisable.
“Cognisance taken on a private complaint carries a much higher legal standing than an FIR,” the SG further submitted.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared on behalf of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
The High Court resumed hearing on the ED’s plea seeking to overturn the trial court order, with further arguments expected when the case comes up next in March 2026.
