Special Judge Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Court had reserved the order on 7 November after the Enforcement Directorate submitted additional clarifications following the court’s inspection of case files. The judge listed 29 November for pronouncement.
The Enforcement Directorate contends that Congress leaders conspired to acquire control of AJL’s assets, worth over ₹2,000 crore, by paying a nominal amount of ₹50 lakh through a closely held company, Young Indian Private Limited. The agency alleges fraudulent transactions including bogus rent payments, donations and advertisements were used to launder money and wrongfully transfer control of the assets.
Arguments advanced for the accused challenge the premise of the prosecution. One senior counsel described the case as “truly strange” and “unprecedented”, arguing that there is no clear evidence of proceeds of crime or misuse of funds. Defenders of the accused maintain that the intention behind the deal was to revive AJL as a legacy institution, rather than to exploit its property for profit.
The origins of the case can be traced to a 2014 complaint by Subramanian Swamy, which prompted the Enforcement Directorate to launch its probe after a court accepted the complaint. The central agency formally filed its money-laundering chargesheet in April 2025. The chargesheet names, in addition to the Gandhis, Sam Pitroda, Suman Dubey and corporate entities including Young Indian and Dotex Merchandise Private Limited.
Prosecution claims include transfer of AJL’s shares, acquisition of valuable real estate, and financial irregularities. The dispute centres on whether the transactions satisfy the legal threshold under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act for cognisance. Earlier hearings saw the court defer decision, citing need for further scrutiny of transaction documents, alleged rent receipts, and fund-flow patterns.