The Delhi High Court has given Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and others three weeks to respond to the Enforcement Directorate’s criminal revision petition regarding the National Herald money laundering case. The court set the next hearing for September 10. The ED has named Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Sam Pitroda, and others as proposed accused in the case.
The ED is challenging a court order from December 16, 2025, which rejected its prosecution complaint under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. It argues that the trial court’s decision was legally incorrect. The ED believes that a prosecution complaint under the PMLA can be based on a scheduled offense arising from a private complaint.
The ED asserts that the cognizance taken by a competent court on a private complaint holds more weight than an FIR filed by the police. It emphasizes that criminal proceedings can be initiated through a police investigation or a private complaint before a Magistrate. The Solicitor General representing the ED had argued that the PMLA would become redundant if the trial court’s interpretation is upheld.
