National Herald case: ED issues fresh summons to Sonia Gandhi for questioning on July 26

The Congress chief is now required to appear before the federal agency on Tuesday, and not on Monday (July 25) for questioning in the National Herald case.

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate on Friday issued fresh summons to interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi for questioning her in connection with the National Herald newspaper-linked money laundering case. The central agency had earlier summoned Sonia Gandhi for questioning on July 25, but it has now deferred it by one more day.

The Congress chief is now required to appear before the federal agency on Tuesday, and not on Monday (July 25). The reason for the change of date could not be ascertained immediately.

Enforcement Directorate issued fresh summons to Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi to join probe in National Herald case on July 26 in place of July 25: Sources

(File pic) pic.twitter.com/1DQlAZTj7d — ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2022

Sonia Gandhi, 75, was questioned for over two hours during her first day of questioning in the case on Thursday. The probe relates to alleged financial irregularities in the Congress-promoted Young Indian Private Limited, which owns the National Herald newspaper.

The Congress leaders slammed the Narendra Modi government for "treating the opposition as its enemies" and "misusing" probe agencies against its leaders as the party staged protests against the Enforcement Directorate's questioning of Sonia Gandhi. Senior Congress leaders, including some MPs, courted arrest outside the party headquarters here to protest the ED action. 

Congressmen staged protests across the country at all state headquarters, with the police using water cannons against protesting Punjab Congress workers in Chandigarh and a miscreant burnt down a car outside the ED office in Bengaluru. The party also said the protests will continue at district headquarters all over the country in the days to come.

Leaders of various political parties, including the DMK, CPI-M, CPI, NC, TRS, MDMK, NCP and Shiv Sena, in a joint statement, condemned the ED action against Sonia Gandhi and alleged that the government was unleashing a relentless campaign against its political opponents through "mischievous" misuse of probe agencies.

Similar protests were held when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was quizzed by the ED in connection with the case last month.