MGNREGA replacement sparks protest; leaders claim it alters constitutional guarantee and decry National Herald probe misuse.
The core legal issue is the proposed replacement of the MGNREGA with the VB G RAM G Bill, 2025, challenged as removing Mahatma Gandhi's name and affecting a constitutional rural employment guarantee; state leaders plan legislative action. Separately, a trial court declined cognisance of money laundering charges against party leaders, prompting allegations of misuse of investigative powers, procedural lapses and politically motivated prosecutions that the party intends to contest publicly and legislatively.

National Herald case: court found money laundering prosecution complaint impermissible because it derived from a private complaint, not an FIR.
A court held that taking cognisance of a prosecution complaint for money laundering was impermissible in law because the complaint stemmed from a private complaint and not from an FIR of a predicate offence, making cognisance legally unsustainable and premature to decide on merits.

National Herald case: ECIR without a prior FIR subverts the required predicate offence trigger for money laundering probes.
The court held that initiating a PMLA investigation by recording an ECIR without a prior FIR in the scheduled (predicate) offence subverts the statutory sequence: the predicate offence must be recorded and investigated first, and a private complaint cannot substitute for an FIR as the jurisdictional foundation for a money laundering prosecution; the order declined cognisance on that legal ground while leaving open further investigation and potential future prosecution if procedural prerequisites are met.

National Herald case: court refused cognisance of ED money laundering complaint; ED to seek fresh charge sheet based on a police FIR.
A Delhi court declined cognisance of the ED's money laundering prosecution under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, finding such a prosecution complaint not maintainable without an FIR for the scheduled predicate offence; the ruling was procedural and did not assess the merits or exonerate the accused, while the ED plans to file a fresh charge sheet relying on a later FIR by the Delhi Police economic offences wing.

Indian identity document racket for Bangladeshi nationals allegedly linked to money laundering, hawala transfers and forged documentation.
The ED alleges a racket that obtained Indian identity documents for Bangladeshi nationals using fabricated records and laundered proceeds under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, including passports with implausible birth dates, procurement of Aadhaar and PAN, operation of a hawala remittance channel, and misuse of a Full Fledged Money Changer and forex firm that received over Rs 80 crore through transactions supported by forged documents.

Nirav Modi seeks reopening of his extradition appeal; UK court adjourns hearing to March citing government assurances.
An application by Nirav Modi to reopen his extradition appeal was adjourned to a rolled up hearing in March-April 2026 after India provided sovereign assurances regarding his pre trial detention and non interrogation by investigative agencies. The CPS argues the reopening was not made as soon as practicable and that existing assurances negate the defence reliance on the Bhandari decision; Modi's lawyers maintain the assurances are inadequate to remove a real risk of torture or inhuman treatment and seek further expert time to challenge them.

National Herald case: ruling finds ED lacked authority without lawful FIR, nullifying money laundering charges against Congress leaders.
The ruling held that without a lawful FIR the Enforcement Directorate lacked jurisdiction to initiate or continue PMLA proceedings, rendering the investigative steps null and void; the ED had alleged conspiracy and money laundering by senior Congress leaders and associated entities in the National Herald matter.

National Herald case: court declined ED's money laundering complaint as not based on an FIR.
Court held the ED's money laundering prosecution complaint under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to be impermissible because it was founded on a private complaint rather than an FIR or a scheduled predicate offence; cognisance of the money laundering offence was declined and the complaint dismissed as not maintainable in law.

National Herald case: money laundering prosecution cannot be founded on a private complaint without an FIR.
The court held that initiation of a PMLA prosecution for a scheduled offence is not maintainable when founded on a section 200 CrPC complaint rather than an FIR, because the statutory scheme and guidance treat an FIR in the predicate offence as the jurisdictional foundation for the ED to record an ECIR and thereafter file a prosecution complaint; cognisance and summoning based solely on a private/public complaint are therefore impermissible.

Ansal Properties charged with money laundering over alleged failure to operate sewage treatment plants and illicit gains.
A prosecution complaint under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act alleges Ansal Properties and its promoters failed to install, maintain, or provide adequate capacity in sewage treatment plants for specified projects, discharged untreated or inadequately treated effluent, and thereby generated proceeds of crime of Rs 10.55 crore; assets equal to that value were attached and the case relies on pollution control board inspection findings.

National Herald case: ED will file a fresh PMLA charge sheet after EOW files its police charge sheet and procedural steps conclude.
The Enforcement Directorate relies on a 2021 Enforcement Case Information Report under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act alleging Young Indian and its majority shareholders acquired Associated Journals Ltd. assets at substantial undervaluation, producing alleged proceeds of crime; a trial court refused cognisance of an ED charge sheet filed in April for lack of an FIR predicate but did not quash the ECIR. The ED merged an EOW FIR into its ECIR, intends to file a fresh charge sheet after the police charge sheet is filed, may reinterview accused persons, and plans asset possession steps following adjudicating authority confirmation of provisional attachments.

National Herald case: court refused cognisance as ED chargesheet lacked predicate FIR, finding proceedings without jurisdiction.
A Delhi court refused cognisance of the ED chargesheet in the National Herald/Young Indian case because the prosecution was based on a private complaint rather than a predicate offence FIR, rendering cognisance impermissible in law. The judge noted that the Delhi Police Economic Offences Wing has lodged an FIR, and therefore it would be premature to decide the ED's merits-based arguments, identifying a jurisdictional and procedural defect in initiating money laundering proceedings without a proper predicate FIR.

National Herald case: money laundering charge against Rahul and Sonia Gandhi not taken up, prompting political criticism.
A trial court declined to take cognisance of an Enforcement Directorate chargesheet alleging money laundering under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and five others; the report focuses on the cognisance threshold for PMLA prosecutions and notes political claims that the prosecution is politically motivated as contextual commentary.

National Herald case: Gandhis not entitled to FIR copy but may be informed that an FIR was registered.
The court held that the Gandhis and other named persons are not entitled to a copy of the FIR but may be informed that an FIR has been registered; the FIR, lodged after evidence sharing by the federal agency, alleges criminal conspiracy, dishonest misappropriation, criminal breach of trust and cheating and relates to entities connected to Young Indian and Associated Journals.

National Herald case: money laundering charges against Gandhi family deemed based on private complaint lacking FIR and jurisdiction.
The judge held that taking cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate's money laundering charge sheet is impermissible where it is based on a private complaint and not on an FIR for a predicate offence, and where the matter is the subject of an FIR already lodged by the police Economic Offences wing; the decision stressed the jurisdictional requirement of a predicate FIR.

National Herald case: court refuses cognisance of ED chargesheet over lack of predicate offence, involving Gandhis.
Court refused to take cognisance of the ED's money laundering chargesheet against Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and others because the chargesheet arose from a private complaint rather than an FIR alleging a predicate offence, noting that the Delhi Police Economic Offences Wing had already lodged an FIR and that adjudication of ED's merits based arguments would be premature.

Cooperative bank fraud: bail denied amid alleged Rs500 crore laundering using shell companies and bribery.
The court found prima facie materials showing active involvement of the accused in money laundering arising from the cooperative bank fraud, relying on investigative statements that shell companies were created in connivance, bank funds were fraudulently disbursed and routed and some funds paid as a bribe followed by acquisition of immovable property; it also observed evidence destruction allegations, held arrests justified, and noted a chargesheet against 39 persons with loans sanctioned through over 100 accounts.

Journalist Mahesh Langa granted interim bail in money laundering probe with strict reporting and trial conditions.
Interim bail to journalist Mahesh Langa is subject to day-to-day trial by a special court, a prohibition on seeking adjournments, and a bar on publishing about the subjudice case, with breach exposing him to bail cancellation; the ED has produced nine witnesses, charges are yet to be framed, and a compliance status report was ordered for the next hearing.

ED questions Yes Bank co-founder Rana Kapoor over alleged money laundering tied to Reliance Anil Ambani investments.
The Enforcement Directorate recorded a statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act from Yes Bank co-founder Rana Kapoor regarding alleged 2017-2019 investments by Yes Bank in Reliance Home Finance Ltd and Reliance Commercial Finance Ltd that became non-performing, with outstanding amounts of Rs 1,353.5 crore and Rs 1,984 crore respectively; the ED alleges public monies from an erstwhile mutual fund were indirectly routed via Yes Bank due to conflict-of-interest restrictions on direct mutual fund investment in those group finance companies.

Transnational cyber fraud using 111 shell companies and mule accounts allegedly siphoned around Rs 1,000 crore via technology driven schemes.
The CBI filed a chargesheet against 17 individuals, including four Chinese nationals, and 58 companies for an alleged transnational cyber fraud and money laundering network that used 111 shell companies, mule accounts and technology platforms to siphon about Rs 1,000 crore; investigators attribute operational direction to four named foreign handlers and cite digital forensic evidence and active foreign linked UPI activity establishing ongoing external control.