National Herald case: 'Very big day for us', Khurshid on Delhi court refusing to take cognisance of ED's chargesheet

New Delhi [India], December 16 (ANI): Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Tuesday welcomed the Delhi court's decision to decline taking cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate's chargesheet in the National Herald money laundering case, asserting "false allegations" were made against our leaders."
Reacting to the court's order in Delhi, Khurshid dismissed the allegations levelled against Congress leaders. "All these false allegations are being made against our leaders," he said, asserting that the decision had vindicated the party's long-standing stand on the issue. He described the development as a major relief and an important milestone in the case. He further congratulated Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, stating, "I congratulate Manu Singhvi...he has been working on this case since the beginning, and after facing hardships, he brought a good result."
Khurshid said the leadership had nothing to hide. "I believe that today is a very big day for us. We are fully confident that what we have done is right," he said, adding that the party remained prepared to face any legal scrutiny.
The senior Congress leader also underlined that questions over the party's conduct were unwarranted. "There can be no question raised about it, nor should anyone raise any question," Khurshid said, while making it clear that the party would respond to any accusations. "If anyone accuses us, we will respond to it," he added.
Earlier today, a Delhi court refused to take cognisance of the ED's chargesheet against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and others, noting that it was based on a probe into a private complaint rather than an FIR for a predicate offence. The court held that the ED's case was founded on a private complaint filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and the summoning orders passed on that complaint, rather than on any FIR.
It ruled that a money-laundering prosecution cannot be sustained based on a private complaint alone, noting that an FIR has greater investigative value and is a prerequisite for registering an ECIR under the PMLA framework. While declining cognisance, the court clarified that the ED may continue with further investigation in accordance with the law. The matter has been listed for January 16, 2026. (ANI)