NEW DELHI : Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday provisionally ED provisionally seizes Rs751.9 crore assets of Young India and AJL. Young India and Associated General Limited (AJL) which are linked to Congress mouthpiece National Herald. The seizure has been made in connection with a money laundering case investigated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) 2002.
Property worth ₹ 90 crore belonging to Young Indian — the company linked to Congress’s Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi — has been attached by the Enforcement Directorate in connection to its investigation into the National Herald case.
The attached property includes the National Herald Houses in Delhi and Mumbai and Nehru Bhavan in Lucknow. Sources said the overall value of properties seized belonging to Associated Journals is 752 crore. The Central agency is investigating an alleged money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper. The case involves allegations of cheating, conspiracy, and criminal breach of trust in the acquisition of the Associated Journals Limited — which ran the newspaper — by Young Indian Pvt Ltd.
The National Herald case was first filed by the BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in 2012. After this, ED had registered a money laundering case against the company in August 2014. Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Congress’s Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandez, Sam Pitroda and Suman Dubey were accused in the case. Rahul, Sonia and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge have already deposed before the ED in connection with probe into the case. Their statements have also been recorded.
The case is based on a complaint filed by BJP’s Subramanian Swamy in a Delhi court in 2013. The allegations include cheating, conspiracy and criminal breach of trust in the acquisition of the Associated Journals Limited by Yong Indian Pvt Ltd. Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi were granted bail in the case by the trial court in December 2015. As per Swamy’s complaint, Sonia, Rahul and others misappropriated funds by allegedly paying Rs 50 lakh for Young Indian to obtain the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that AJL owed to the Congress.

“ED has issued an order to provisionally attach properties worth ₹ 751.9 Crore in a money-laundering case investigated under the PMLA, 2002,” the ED said today in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“ED has issued an order to provisionally attach properties worth  Rs. 751.9 Crore in a money-laundering case investigated under the PMLA, 2002. Investigation revealed that M/s. Associated Journals Ltd. (AJL) is in possession of proceeds of crime in the form of immovable properties spread across many cities of India such as Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow to the tune of Rs. 661.69 Crore and M/s. Young Indian (YI) is in possession of proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs. 90.21 Crore in the form of investment in equity shares of AJL,” the ED posted on X.
“Investigation revealed that M/s. Associated Journals Ltd. (AJL) is in possession of proceeds of crime in the form of immovable properties spread across many cities of India such as Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow to the tune of ₹ 661.69 Crore and M/s. Young Indian (YI) is in possession of proceeds of crime to the tune of ₹ 90.21 Crore in the form of investment in equity shares of AJL,” the post read.
The” Reports of attachment of AJL properties by ED reflects their desperation to divert attention from certain defeat in the ongoing elections in each state,” posted Congress’s Abhishek Singhvi on X.” An assignment of loan without transfer of any immovable property or movement of money is being dressed up to justify attachment & freezing of assets of a company which runs an iconic voice of Indian independence movmnt (sic) National Herald  linked to INC & its legacy,” read another of his posts.
The National Herald case was first filed by the BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in 2012. After this, ED had registered a money laundering case against the company in August 2014. Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Congress’s Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandez, Sam Pitroda and Suman Dubey were accused in the case.
The ED sent summons to Sonia and Rahul in the case related to the National Herald newspaper. This paper was started in 1938 by the former PM Jawaharlal Nehru along with five thousand freedom fighters. This newspaper was published by AJL. AJL published this newspaper in three languages, ‘National Herald’ in English, ‘Navjeevan’ in Hindi and ‘Qaumi Awaaz’ in Urdu. Later, the newspaper suffered losses and was closed in 2008 despite a loan of Rs 90 crore from the Congress.
India’s GDP Journey: Nearing the $4 Trillion Mark A new organization called Young Indian Private Limited (YIL) was formed in 2008. It overtook AJL and continued publishing the National Herald. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were on the Board of Directors of YIL. Sonia and Rahul’s stake in YIL was 76% and the remaining 24% was held by Vora and Fernandez. Vora died in 2020 and Fernandez in 2021. After this, Congress transferred a Rs90 crore loan of AJL to YIL.
(Bureau Report with Media Inputs).

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