New Delhi: The Congress management Wednesday intensified its assault on the Centre after a Delhi trial courtroom declined to take cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) prosecution criticism within the Nationwide Herald case, with celebration president Mallikarjun Kharge calling it a “slap on the faces” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Residence Minister Amit Shah.

“This case was the end result of political vendetta. It was mounted to harass the Gandhi household. After this judgment, Modi and Shah ought to resign. It is a slap on their faces. Fact has prevailed. We welcome the judgment,” Kharge instructed a press convention.

The courtroom additionally criticised ED’s method, calling it a unilateral overreach and ill-advised. The ED had obtained an FIR registered by the Delhi Police’s Financial Offences Wing on 3 October 2025, and has indicated that it’s prone to enchantment towards the trial courtroom’s order.

The BJP, in the meantime, dismissed the setback as merely procedural, arguing that the courtroom didn’t touch upon the deserves of the allegations. Nonetheless, Congress Rajya Sabha MP and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who argued the case, mentioned the ED’s proper to enchantment didn’t dilute the setback.

“If you lose, you might have the best to enchantment however that doesn’t reduce your loss. A judgment is a judgment. You’ll be able to self-servingly name it technical. However please ask them if violation of the PMLA is technical. Why did they not file an FIR from 2014 to 2021 and what was the that means of all their opinion that no predicate offence is made out within the case?” Singhvi requested on the press convention.

Flanked by Kharge and Congress normal secretary (organisation) Ok. C. Venugopal, Singhvi identified that each the ED and CBI had earlier instructed the courtroom, in written submissions, that no predicate offence was made out within the case primarily based on a 2014 Justice of the Peace order on a criticism filed by BJP chief Subramanian Swamy. But, in 2021, “command comes from the skies”, and an ECIR was registered, he mentioned.

“Heads needs to be rolled for this, as a substitute you should have appeals. And the contemporary FIR in October was filed to maintain the pot boiling. This case has all the time been lengthy on rhetoric, quick on legs. Now investigative overreach has met judicial oversight. Courts will not be theatres for political scripts. They’re temples of due course of. This story is a narrative of political vendetta of harassment,” Singhvi mentioned.

The ED has accused Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, amongst different Congress leaders, and a non-public firm, Younger Indian, of conspiracy and cash laundering. It has alleged that properties price roughly Rs 2,000 crore belonging to Related Journals Restricted, which publishes the Nationwide Herald newspaper, have been illegally acquired.

“It’s an alleged cash laundering case with out one paisa transferring one inch and one property transferring one foot. AJL stays the proprietor. AJL transformed a debt to fairness. All firms do it by issuing shares. AJL shares have been purchased by Younger Indian, which is a not for revenue firm,” Singhvi mentioned.

Congress MPs additionally raised the matter in Parliament, citing it for instance of the ED’s “misuse” by the ruling BJP.

(Edited by Viny Mishra)

Additionally learn: Nationwide Herald—80-yr journey of paper at centre of ED-Congress row began with freedom battle