Sonia writes to ED seeking postponement of appearance till complete recovery

The Congress president had been summoned by the agency for questioning in a money laundering case related to the National Herald newspaper on June 23

Congress President Sonia Gandhi has sought exemption from appearing before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the National Herald case on Thursday, citing her health conditions.

She wrote to the agency in this regard on Wednesday, as she was advised to rest at home owing to her hospitalisation recently, and has sought postponment of her appearance before the ED by a few weeks.

“Since she has been strictly advised to rest at home following her hospitalisation on account of Covid and lung infection, Congress President Sonia Gandhi has written to ED today seeking the postponement of her appearance there by a few weeks till she has recovered completely,” Congress chief spokesperson Jairam Ramesh tweeted.

Sonia was discharged from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here on Monday where she was admitted for "Covid-19 related issues".

Sonia was earlier summoned by the Enforcement Directorate to appear before it in the National Herald case on June 8 but after she contracted Covid-19, the agency summoned her on June 23.

Her son and former party chief Rahul Gandhi has also been questioned since June 13 for five days in the case.

The 75-year-old leader had tested positive for Covid-19 on June 2 and was admitted to the hospital ten days later after bleeding from her nose following a recent Covid infection. Last week, Congress issued a statement saying she has been detected with a fungal infection in her lower respiratory tract and other post Covid-19 symptoms.

On June 16, she underwent a follow-up procedure. A fungal infection in her lower respiratory tract was also detected upon admission in the hospital.