The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the extension of the term of Director of Enforcement Directorate (ED) Sanjay Kumar Mishra till September 15 in “larger national interest”, reports Bar and Bench.
A bench of Justices BR Gavai, Vikram Nath and Sanjay Karol partially allowed the petition filed by the Centre and clarified that no further application for extension shall be permitted in the case.
“To allow smooth transition, we find that taking into consideration larger public interest we permit ED director to continue for some more period. We permit ED director to continue till September 15, 2023. No further applications shall be entertained for extension of tenure,” the top court said in its order, according to Bar and Bench.
Why Centre sought Mishra’s extension
On Wednesday, the Centre approached the Supreme Court seeking a tenure extension for Mishra till October 15 in view of the ongoing Financial Action Task Force (FATF) review.
The Union government had filed a plea for modification of the Court’s July 11 verdict which had set a deadline of July 31 for the appointment of a new director of the ED.
On July 11, the top court struck down the earlier extension granted to Mishra on the ground that the same was in violation of its 2021 judgment. The top court had declared as “not valid in law” the two tenure extensions granted to Mishra, saying he can’t continue on the post until July 31.
The Centre then moved the Supreme Court contending that Mishra should be allowed to stay in office till October 15, 2023, so that the FATF review of India’s money-laundering probe operations goes smoothly.
Mishra was first appointed ED Director for a two-year term in November 2018, which was set to expire in November 2020. In May 2020, he reached the retirement age of 60.
In November last year, the Centre had granted a one-year extension to Mishra, a day before he was set to retire. This was the third extension in the tenure of Mishra, who was to be in office till November 18, 2023, with a total tenure as ED chief lasting five years.