The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday accepted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's request to defer his questioning in the National Herald money laundering case from June 17 to June 20, PTI reported. Rahul Gandi was summoned for a fourth round of questioning this week on Friday.


Rahul Gandhi had written to the ED saying that he had to look after his mother Sonia Gandhi, who is hospitalised due to Covid related complications, and requested the probe agency to resume his questionning on Monday instead of Friday.


Sonia Gandhi was admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on Sunday over Covid-related complications. The 75-year-old had tested positive on June 2. Sonia Gandhi has also been summoned for questioning by the ED in the case on June 23.


Rahul Gandhi was questioned for about 30 hours in total on three days this week by a three-member ED team in the National Herald money laundering case, IANS reported.


The investigation pertains to alleged financial irregularities in the Congress-promoted Young Indian Private Limited, which owns the National Herald newspaper. The newspaper is published by the Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and owned by Young Indian Private Limited (YIL).


For the last three days, top Congress leaders and workers have been protesting in solidarity with Rahul Gandhi as he appeared for questioning before the ED. Several of them were detained as well.


The protests took a tense turn after Congress on Wednesday alleged that Delhi Police personnel entered the Congress headquarters on Akbar Road in Delhi and beat up party workers. On Thursday, Congress workers staged a gherao of all Raj Bhavans across the country follpwing a call by the party.


Earlier in the day, Congress MPs met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu to raise the issue of Delhi Police action against party lawmakers, including some women, during their protests in the national capital, and alleged they were treated like "terrorists".


Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also wrote a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, alleging that the "inhuman treatment and humiliation has been meted out" to Rahul Gandhi by the ED.


(With inputs from agencies)