AMN / WEB DESK
The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that the third extension given to Enforcement Directorate’s current Director Sanjay Kumar Mishra was illegal. Hearing petitions challenging Mishra’s extension, SC said that in view of FATF peer review and to enable smooth transition, Mishra’s tenure will be till July 31, 2023.
Hearing a batch of pleas challenging the extension of tenure granted to Sanjay Kumar Mishra, the current director of the Enforcement Directorate, the Supreme Court on Tuesday said that the move was illegal.
Enforcement Director SK Mishra is set to retire on July 31 after the Supreme Court deemed this third tenure extension illegal. The Centre contends that a third extension (till November) was necessitated by an upcoming Financial Action Task Force peer review. Following the order, the apex court had begun hearing a clutch of petitions challenging the extension.
The 63-year-old official was first appointed as ED director in November 2018. His appointment letter was later modified in 2020 with the two year term being changed to three years. The government also promulgated an ordinance last year under which the tenure of the ED and CBI chiefs could be extended by up to three years after the mandated term of two years.
Amit Shah slams ‘delusional’ critics rejoicing over SC verdict on ED chief tenure
AMN
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that those rejoicing over the Supreme Court decision on the Enforcement Directorate ED case are delusional for various reasons. In a tweet, Mr Shah said, the amendments to the CVC Act, which were duly passed by the Parliament, have been upheld by the Supreme Court. He said, the powers of the ED to strike at those who are corrupt and on the wrong side of the law remain the same.
The Union Home Minister said, ED is an institution that rises beyond any one individual and is focused on achieving its core objective to investigate offenses of money laundering and violations of foreign exchange laws. He said, thus, who the ED director is, is not important because whoever assumes this role will take note of the rampant corruption of a cozy club of entitled dynasts who have an anti-development mindset.
Who is Sanjay Kumar Mishra?
The 1984-batch IRS officer has led the Enforcement Directorate since mid-2018. He was first appointed as the interim director of the ED before assuming the top role in a more permanent capacity three months later. His tenure has seen several high-profile political leaders – many from the Opposition ranks – coming under ED scrutiny.
Under Mishra the ED has launched probes against Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi’s husband Robert Vadra, Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference leaders Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah. Opposition parties have often accused the government of misusing the central probe agency to target their leaders.