On Wednesday, the Centre petitioned the Supreme Court to extend Sanjay Kumar Mishra’s tenure as director of the Enforcement Directorate. The Supreme Court has consented to hear it on July 27th, according to media sources.
According to the Supreme Court’s ruling, SK Mishra’s tenure as director of the ED would conclude on July 31.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) head Sanjay Kumar Mishra’s third term extension, which was granted in November 2022, was previously deemed “illegal” by the Supreme Court.
He was appointed as the ED chief in 2018 for a set term of two years. Then he received three one-year extensions beginning in 2020.
The Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Act of 2021, the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Act of 2021, and the Fundamental (Amendment) Rules of 2021, all of which permit the Centre to have chiefs of the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) with a tenure of up to five years, were also upheld by the SC.
When questioned about the decision to give him the third extension, Centre had said that the extension was necessary due to an impending review by the FATF, an organization that fights the funding of terrorism.
“The Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) has cross-border consequences, but it wasn’t written for a certain person. India is up for a FATF peer review, which takes place every ten years. The ideal person to handle them is someone who regularly interacts with FATF. When working with global bodies, continuity is sometimes required. The performance of our nation (in the review) was crucial. It is not our position that he (Mishra) is essential, the Centre had argued before the Supreme Court.
In accordance with the most recent ruling from the Supreme Court, Mishra was permitted to continue leading the ED till July 31 “in view of FATF peer review and to enable smooth transition.”