New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has brought to light significant details in an attachment order dated November 11, revealing that Associated Journals Limited (AJL), owned by the Congress party, strategically resumed the news operations of the National Herald in 2016. This move aimed to create an illusion of continued newspaper publishing, especially in the wake of investigations initiated by the ED and other regulatory agencies.

AJL, established by India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1937, was the publisher of three newspapers: National Herald in English, Qaumi Awaz in Urdu, and Navjeevan in Hindi. In 2008, the company ceased its operations, leading to voluntary retirements among its employees. Subsequently, Young Indian, a company predominantly owned by Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, took charge.

When the ED and other agencies began probing alleged money laundering activities, the Congress party announced the revival of news operations in 2016. According to the ED's attachment order on November 11, AJL strategically relaunched its news operations in a digital format around 2016, precisely when government agencies were intensifying their investigations. This digital relaunch was seemingly orchestrated to project an image of continuous newspaper publishing.

The ED emphasized an alleged nexus involving three entities—AJY, YI, and AICC. Additionally, it pointed out that Moti Lal Vohra and Oscar Fernandes played operational roles in these entities. The ED asserted that structures were established in a predetermined manner by Young Indian (YI) to facilitate the acquisition of AJL's properties.

Another ED official highlighted the interconnectedness of the three entities, emphasizing common office bearers and a history of long association. The ED, in its findings, stated that YI executed a payment of Rs 50 lakh to acquire AJL's Rs 90 crore loan, which was subsequently converted into equity. This financial maneuver, involving the All India Congress Committee (AICC), was labeled as a "sham transaction" by the ED.

The backdrop of the National Herald Scam traces back to AJL's mounting debt, which was later transferred to Young Indian Pvt Ltd. This company, predominantly owned by the Gandhis, eventually gained a majority of AJL's share equities and assumed control over the entire company. The assets of the Associated Journals Limited, valued at over 2000 crores and located in prime areas of cities such as Mumbai, New Delhi, Lucknow, Bhopal, Indore, and Patna, were amalgamated into Young Indian Limited.

The controversy deepened when, despite earlier assertions that newspaper publication was not the objective of the not-for-profit charity Young Indian Limited, it relaunched the three newspapers, including the National Herald, in a digital format in 2016.

In 2011, Subramanian Swamy alleged that the Gandhis had established Young Indian Limited to acquire the real estate assets of AJL. He accused Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi of defrauding their own party and took the matter to the trial court in 2013. Swamy contended that Young Indian Limited managed to write off a debt of Rs 90.26 crores for a mere Rs 50 lakhs. He further argued that the decision of the Congress party to extend loans to AJL for commercial purposes was illegal.

It is noteworthy that in 2022, the ED filed a fresh case under the criminal provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after a trial court acknowledged an Income Tax Department probe against Young Indian Pvt Ltd. This legal action was based on a private criminal complaint filed by former BJP MP Subramanian Swamy in 2013, marking a new chapter in the National Herald Scam saga.

Election Commission's High-Stakes Review: Andhra Pradesh Gears Up for Lok Sabha Polls

BJP National President JP Nadda to Strategize for Lok Sabha Polls in Jammu and Kashmir

Ravichandran Ashwin Proposes Transforming WTC Final into Three-Match Series