National Herald Scam of Gandhi Family

 

The National Herald Case: What's It All About?

Imagine a famous old newspaper called the National Herald, which was started way back in 1938 by Jawaharlal Nehru – India's first Prime Minister and Rahul Gandhi's great-grandfather. It was basically a newspaper that supported India's fight for freedom from British rule. The paper was run by a company called Associated Journals Limited (AJL), which was mostly owned by Congress party leaders and freedom fighters. Over the years, it became a really important part of the Gandhi family's history.

But by 2008, the newspaper was losing loads of money and had to stop printing altogether. AJL owed the Congress party about ₹90 crore (roughly £8 million) in loans – these were interest-free loans that the party had given to keep the paper running, pay workers, and keep its buildings in places like Delhi, Mumbai, and Lucknow. These properties were worth over ₹2,000 crore (about £180 million) because they were really valuable locations that had been given cheaply specifically for running a newspaper.

Here's where the dodgy stuff begins. In 2010, Sonia Gandhi (the Congress party leader) and her son Rahul set up a new company called Young Indian (YI). It was supposed to be a "not-for-profit" organisation to bring the Herald back as an online news site. But here's the suspicious bit: YI bought the Congress's ₹90 crore loan for just ₹50 lakh (about £4,500) – an absolutely tiny amount. In exchange, AJL gave 99% of its shares to YI. Since Sonia and Rahul each own 38% of YI, they ended up controlling AJL and all its valuable properties through this deal.

Critics, like BJP politician Subramanian Swamy, reckon this was illegal. Why? 

Because the properties were given to AJL by the government specifically for running a newspaper, not for making personal profit. By handing the shares over to YI, the Gandhi family basically grabbed public assets for next to nothing, turning party loans into personal control. Swamy called it cheating, fraud, and "land grabbing" – it's like borrowing your mate's bike for free and then claiming it's yours forever. No money went directly into their pockets, but they got hold of massive properties without paying a fair price. Even worse, AJL rented out some of the buildings (like for passport offices) and made millions, which they weren't supposed to do.

The case started in November 2012 when Swamy filed a complaint in a Delhi court. He accused Sonia, Rahul, and others (like Sam Pitroda) of secretly plotting to misuse Congress funds and break trust laws. Courts issued summons in 2015, but the Gandhis fought back, saying it was just a political attack and that YI was simply trying to save the historic newspaper.

So why has it been swept under the carpet for years? Indian courts move ridiculously slowly – like a sleepy tortoise. Endless appeals, delays from high courts, and Supreme Court hearings have dragged it from 2012 until now, a full 13 years. The original trial got stuck for four years just sorting out witness lists and finding missing documents. Plus, until the BJP came to power in 2014, no major investigation happened; it was seen as just an internal Congress issue. Now, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) – a money-laundering investigation agency – got involved from 2019, freezing properties worth ₹751 crore by 2023. In April 2025, they filed charges against the Gandhis for money laundering crimes. As of 30 November 2025, the ED has started seizing ₹700 crore worth of assets, with a fresh police case for conspiracy. Courts have pushed decisions back to December, so the drama continues.

The Congress party calls it "vendetta politics" – claiming there's no real crime and it's just harassment. But for lots of people, it's a story about powerful people turning public property into private treasure. Will justice actually happen faster? Only time will tell.