Rahul Gandhi Assets Case: Supreme Court to Examine High Court's CBI, ED Probe Directive on August 17

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday, August 17, 2026, a plea filed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi challenging the Allahabad High Court's order that directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to verify allegations of disproportionate assets against him.

According to the apex court's cause list for August 17, a Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana will take up the matter.

The case stems from a July 20 order of the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court, which expressed dissatisfaction with the CBI's response to a complaint against Mr. Gandhi. The High Court had then directed a senior officer of the agency to personally file a fresh affidavit detailing the progress made in the probe into the allegations against the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

The High Court had also observed that if, during the course of its inquiry, the Enforcement Directorate comes across material and documents indicating any illegality, it would be free to proceed further in accordance with the law.

The plea before the High Court sought an investigation by the CBI and the ED into allegations of disproportionate assets against Mr. Gandhi. The petition was filed by S. Vignesh Shishir, a Karnataka resident and a worker of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Mr. Vignesh had earlier also filed pleas alleging that the Congress leader holds dual citizenship.

In its July 20 order, the High Court noted that the affidavit filed by the CBI was not in compliance with its earlier order and did not adequately explain the progress made on the complaint submitted by the petitioner against Mr. Gandhi related to his assets. The Court had directed the joint director or the head of the concerned zone at the CBI's Anti-Corruption headquarters in New Delhi to personally file a fresh affidavit before the next hearing, detailing the progress made in the matter.

The bench treated the matter as part-heard and fixed August 20 as the next date of hearing. It also granted four weeks' time to the Union Government to file detailed counter affidavits on behalf of the Department of Personnel and Training, the Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, and the Serious Fraud Investigation Office.

Additionally, the High Court directed that the entire case record continue to remain in a sealed cover in the safe custody of the senior registrar, in terms of its earlier orders.

The upcoming Supreme Court hearing is part of the ongoing legal process. It is pertinent to note that the allegations against Mr. Gandhi are yet to be established, and the courts are examining the procedural aspects of the investigation. The outcome of the hearing will determine the next steps in the case.