National Herald case: Dec 16 ruling a slap on Modi-Shah faces, says Kharge

A day after Delhi’s Rouse Avenue court refused to take cognisance of a case emerging from a fresh First Information Report (FIR) filed in the National Herald case accusing top Congress leaders such as Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, the Congress on Wednesday (December 17) said the ruling was a “slap on the faces” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The principal Opposition party also accused the duo of defaming their party and the Gandhi family and demanded their resignation and apology.

Also read: Congress MPs protest 'misuse of ED' after Gandhis get relief in National Herald case

Calling it a case of “political vendetta”, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said at a special press briefing, “The case had been lodged with the intent of political vendetta. It was in 1938 that freedom fighters established this newspaper. Using agencies, they are defaming Congress leaders and the Gandhi family.”

Kharge tears into BJP, calls ruling 'Satyameva Jayate'

He also tore into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying the ruling party used law-enforcement agencies to turn MPs to its side and manipulate governments in various states.

Hailing the Delhi court’s ruling, Kharge said, “We welcome this judgement. It is Satyameva Jayate (Truth alone triumphs),” he said.

Targeting the prime minister and the home minister, the veteran Congress leader added, “This is a slap on the faces of Modi and Shah. They should resign. They should understand that by doing such things, people will not forgive them.”

Also read: Delhi court grants relief to Sonia, Rahul Gandhi in National Herald case

On Tuesday, the court observed that the ED’s probe is based on a private complaint and not any FIR. It also ruled that Rahul, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and Sonia, a Rajya Sabha MP and the former chief of the Congress, and the other accused in the case are not entitled to be given copy of the FIR (under a fresh case registered by the Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing in October) at this stage. It, however, allowed the agency to continue further investigation.

Special Judge Vishal Gogne passed the order.

According to the court, it could not take cognisance since the ED’s case was based on a private complaint made by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and subsequent summoning orders from a magistrate, and not from a registered FIR. It found the complaint not maintainable since it was not based on an FIR related to a scheduled offence under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Abhishek Manu Singhvi lambasts Centre

Senior advocate and Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who was also at the briefing, said the case lacked a legal base and also echoed Kharge by calling it a political vendetta.

“It was all allegations. It was 90 hours of interrogation to create headlines and embarrass and harass the Gandhi family and Congress leaders,” he said.

Also read: Sonia abused her position to benefit self, son in AJL takeover: ED

He said in the case between 2014 and 2021, the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) and ED in their files wrote that there was “no predicate offence”.

“There was a joint consensus between the two agencies on it. That there is no predicate offence. Why couldn’t there be an FIR in the case for seven years? In June 2021, an FIR was lodged. If this is not political malice, then what is?” Singhvi asked.

He added that since the case was based on a political vendetta with no evidence, it collapsed.

The senior Congress leader, who has called the case a "weird" one in the past, also alleged the FIR filed in October 2025 is an attempt by the BJP-led government to keep the pot boiling.

“There hasn’t been a millimetre of change of money or property. The properties haven’t moved a millimetre,” Singhvi said.

Also read: Nothing comes out of political vendetta: Congress on ED chargesheet against Gandhis

Welcoming the court’s judgement, he added, “Today, law has spoken louder than words. The case was based on fiction. Investigative outreach has met judicial oversight.”

Congress blasts govt, holds protest

The Congress also lashed out at the government, both on social media and through protests. In a post on X, which also included a video of its leaders protesting against the BJP-led central government in the parliament complex, it said in Hindi, “The court has refused to take cognizance of the ED's charge sheet in the National Herald case. This is a resounding defeat for the BJP's long-running political conspiracy.

“The Modi government has been trying to break the opposition's morale by using government agencies, which will no longer be tolerated.”

In another post, it called the National Herald case “completely fake” and that Modi and Shah fabricated the “false case out of political vendetta”. It cited the party’s Karnataka unit staging a protest in Belagavi in the southern state against the case and involved state Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar.