The Enforcement Directorate has allowed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's request to defer his questioning in the National Herald money-laundering case from June 17 to June 20 owing to personal reasons, officials said on Thursday.

The Congress MP wrote to the investigating officer of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to allow him exemption from the questioning scheduled on Friday (June 17) as he wants to remain with his ailing mother, Sonia Gandhi.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi has been admitted to a private hospital in Delhi due to COVID-19-related issues.Rahul (51) spent almost 30 hours with the ED sleuths over the last three days, where he was questioned and his statement recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).