Controversy in Court: Saving Heritage or Fraud?

Senior advocate R S Cheema, representing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, defended his client in court, arguing that the All India Congress Committee (AICC) was not selling assets but rather preserving an institution tied to India's freedom movement. His statements were in response to the Enforcement Directorate's allegations of conspiracy and money laundering.

Cheema quoted literary figures Mark Twain and Urdu poet Wasim Barelvi to counter the accusations. The federal agency claimed that the Gandhis and other Congress leaders misappropriated properties valued at over Rs 2,000 crore through fraudulent means, relating to Associated Journals Limited, publisher of the National Herald newspaper.

He emphasized the non-commercial nature of AJL post-independence and highlighted discrepancies in the ED's narrative, mentioning that the agency focused on a private complaint by Subramanian Swamy. Cheema described the money laundering allegations as baseless, asserting that AICC was rescuing its historical significance, not reaping profits from sales.

(With inputs from agencies.)