National Herald case: Delhi HC issued notice to Gandhis seeking info on ED plea against trial court order

The Delhi High Court on Monday issued notice to all respondents in National Herald case, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, while hearing the Enforcement Directorate’s plea challenging the trial court order that refused to take cognisance of its money-laundering complaint against the two.

Justice Ravinder Dudeja heard the matter with Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the ED.

Mehta placed a factual chronology about the case before the Court, while Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared for the Gandhi family.


Solicitor General submitted that the trial court erred in failing to appreciate that cognisance taken by a competent court on a private complaint carries a much higher legal standing than a mere FIR. The cognisance may still be refused even after a chargesheet is filed, he added.

He further argued that in the present matter, cognisance of the private complaint constituting the scheduled offence had already been taken by a competent court and upheld up to the Supreme Court, placing it on a far stronger footing than a simple police FIR.

The court has listed the matter in March 2026.

(With inputs from ANI)