As Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for the third consecutive day in an alleged money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper, party MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has written a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and sought his intervention over the “inhuman treatment and humiliation” meted out to Gandhi by the probe agency.
“Rahul Gandhi has been undergoing inexplicable tormentation for consecutive three days by ED in Delhi. He has been grilled on an average 10 to 11 hours per day on the pretext of examination on some wild allegations. This kind of inhuman treatment with an MP smacks of henious conspiracy to settle political scores,” wrote Chowdhury. “We all regard you (Birla) as our custodian and hence seek your intervention into the humiliation being meted out Rahul Gandhi,” he added.
Congress’s Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury seeks Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s intervention alleging “inhuman treatment & humiliation meted out to party leader Rahul Gandhi by ED.”
Rahul Gandhi is being probed by ED in the National Herald case pic.twitter.com/hKbCJazFkn
— ANI (@ANI) June 15, 2022
Meanwhile, Gandhi appeared before the ED today for the third consecutive day of questioning in the National Herald money laundering case, with the agency seeking answers about his “personal role” in taking decisions with regard to the media organisation and its owner Young Indian.
He arrived at the ED headquarters on APJ Abdul Kalam Road in central Delhi around 11.35 am with his “Z+” category CRPF security escort.
He was accompanied by his sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as his convoy whizzed past police barricades thronged by media persons and party supporters.
A huge contingent of police and paramilitary personnel has been deployed around the federal agency’s office, and prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) are in force.
The questioning began at 12 noon and the ED has been conducting a video and audio recording of the statement of Gandhi during all the three days’ sessions. His statements are being typed on A4 size papers and are minutely reviewed by him and signed before submission to the investigating officer.
According to an India Today report, the Congress leader told the agency that Young Indian is a not-for-profit company that was incorporated under special provision of Companies Act. He added that not a single penny has been taken out of it. Countering his claims, the ED said that the company has not done any charitable work since the time it has been formed in 2010.
