Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Apr 12: In a major development intensifying the legal troubles for the Congress-linked Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has initiated formal steps to take possession of properties worth Rs 661 crore. These properties, spread across Delhi, Mumbai, and Lucknow, had earlier been provisionally attached as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation.
An ED official confirmed on Saturday that notices were sent to property registrars in all three cities. In the national capital, possession notices were visibly pasted on the walls of AJL's iconic premises at 5A, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg—a central hub for several media organizations.
The notices were issued under Section 8 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, and as per Rule 5(1) of the 2013 rules governing the seizure of confirmed attached properties. The ED action comes in the wake of evidence pointing to the possession and utilization of proceeds of crime amounting to ?988 crore.
In Mumbai, the crackdown extended to Herald House in Bandra (East), where Jindal South West Projects Limited currently occupies the 7th, 8th, and 9th floors. The company has now been instructed to direct all monthly rent or lease payments to the ED.
Meanwhile in Lucknow, similar notices were posted at a property located on 1, Bisheshwar Nath Road, further marking the agency’s aggressive move to take control of assets tied to the case.
The roots of this high-profile probe trace back to 2021, stemming from a 2014 private complaint by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy. That complaint accused top Congress leaders—including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, the late Motilal Vohra, the late Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey, and Sam Pitroda—of orchestrating a criminal conspiracy to illegally acquire valuable AJL assets through Young Indian, a company they reportedly control.
According to the ED, Young Indian acquired AJL’s assets, allegedly valued at over Rs 2,000 crore, for just Rs 50 lakh—triggering suspicions of deliberate undervaluation. Investigators further claimed that the properties were used to generate illicit income, citing bogus donations (Rs 18 crore), advance rents (Rs 38 crore), and fake advertisement revenues (Rs 29 crore).
The case has endured numerous legal challenges but has been allowed to proceed by both the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court. The ED maintains that it has gathered substantial evidence, including incriminating documents obtained through raids, that support the allegations of large-scale financial misconduct.
The latest possession move marks a significant escalation in what has become one of the most closely watched political investigations in recent memory.