In fresh summons, Sonia Gandhi asked to appear before ED on July 21

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday issued a fresh summons to Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the National Herald money laundering case. The Congress leader was asked to appear before the agency on July 21.

The federal agency had earlier accepted a request from Gandhi seeking postponement of the questioning in the case and asked the Congress president to record her statement with the agency in the last week of July.

The 75-year-old Congress president wrote to the agency seeking more time on the grounds that doctors had “strictly advised her to rest at home following her hospitalisation on account of Covid and lung infection”. She was supposed to appear before the ED on June 23.

Gandhi was first issued notice for an appearance on June 8 but after she tested positive for Covid-19, a fresh notice was issued for an appearance on June 23.

Her son and former Congress president Rahul Gandhi had appeared before ED officers for a couple of days in the same case. During this time, a large number of Congress leaders had taken to the streets in protest against the alleged misuse of central agencies against Opposition members.