Congress workers on April 16 staged a nationwide protest condemning the BJP-led Central government. They are protesting after the ED's chargesheet against senior party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in connection with the National Herald Case. In its money laundering investigation into the activities of the party-run National Herald newspaper, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a charge sheet against Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday. This is the first charge sheet ever filed against both leaders. In Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, Congress workers were detained for holding a protest against the government.
According to the charge sheet, which was submitted to a Delhi court on April 9, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi are listed as accused number 1 and 2, respectively, under sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, or PMLA, which deal with money laundering and its penalties, and section 70, which deals with offences committed by corporations. If proven, the charges carry a maximum sentence of seven years in prison. The people added that in addition to the Gandhis, the founding directors of Young Indian Private Limited (YI), a business in which Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi jointly own 76% of the shares, and the business itself, Suman Dubey, a former journalist and close confidant of the Gandhis, and Sam Pitroda, the head of the Congress' international arm, have also been named as accused.
Also Read: Murshidabad violence: CM Mamata Banerjee announces compensation for kin of victims
Under sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, or PMLA, which deal with money laundering and its penalties, and section 70, which deals with offences committed by corporations, the charge sheet, which was submitted to a Delhi court on April 9, naming Sonia as the first accused and Rahul Gandhi as the second. The charges carry a maximum sentence of seven years in jail. Along with the Gandhis, other accused include Suman Dubey, a close confidant and former journalist, and Sam Pitroda, the head of the Congress' international arm, as founding directors of Young Indian Private Limited (YI), a company in which Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi jointly own 76% of the shares, as well as the company itself.
The charge sheet was referred to by the Congress as a "political vendetta" and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of intimidating them.