₹661 Crore Assets Seized in AJL Case: Fresh Legal Heat on Rahul and Sonia Gandhi

The political scene in India is once again in a state of upheaval. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has recently moved against assets of value ₹661 crore belonging to Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the case of Associated Journals Limited (AJL). The action is politically and legally important because it is a new turn in a very old and much-debated case.

AJL is a media group, which is predominantly the owner of the National Herald newspaper, popularly referred to as the Congress mouthpiece.The allegation is that Young Indian, a company 76% owned by Rahul and Sonia Gandhi, bought the large loans of AJL at a nominal value, thereby indirectly obtaining control of AJL. In this case, the government is claiming that some sort of financial fraud was committed by taking advantage of a charitable trust.

The ED stated that the worth of 11 properties belonging to AJL is approximately ₹661 crore, which are considered illegal proceeds. These include significant properties in Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow. These properties have been seized under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Congress has described this act as vendetta politics. The BJP, they state, cannot come to terms with the outcome of the 2024 elections and is once more attempting to silence the opposition by exercising its institutional authority. The BJP, however, asserts that this is being done in the way of law, and there is nothing to look for political colour in this. 

This case is not just financially burdening the Congress leadership but also politically. It might particularly impact Rahul Gandhi's reputation and future political ambitions. While doing this, it also points to the fact that the BJP government is selecting a strategy in order to sustain legal pressure upon the opposition in its second term.