The Centre on Wednesday moved Supreme Court seeking extension of term of Enforcement Directorate Director Sanjay Kumar Mishra. As per media reports, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear it on July 27.
SK Mishra's term will end on July 31 as ED Director as per the Supreme Court judgement.
The Supreme Court earlier held that the third extension to the tenure of Enforcement Directorate (ED) chief Sanjay Kumar Mishra is "illegal" which was given to him in November 2022.
Back in 2018, he was appointed as the ED chief with a fixed tenure of two years. Then, starting in 2020, he was given three one-year extensions.
However, the SC also upheld the amendment to the Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Act, 2021, Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Act, 2021, and the Fundamental (Amendment) Rules, 2021, all of which allow the Centre to have chiefs of ED and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) with a tenure of up to five years.
When questioned about the decision on granting him the third extension, Centre had said that the extension was required because of upcoming review from the anti-terror financing agency FATF.
“It was not love for one particular individual but the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) has trans-border implications. India is due for peer review by FATF which happens once in 10 years. A person interacting with FATF is best suited to deal with them. Sometimes, continuity is needed when you are dealing with world bodies. What is paramount was the performance of our country (in the review). It is not our case that he (Mishra) is indispensable,” said the Centre in the Supreme Court earlier.
According to the apex court's last order, Mishra was allowed to serve as ED chief till July 31 "in view of FATF peer review and to enable smooth transition".
