The Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned the Central Government's decision to grant ED director Sanjay Kumar Mishra a third extension and gives him until July 31 to resign. The extension order is deemed "illegal" by the SC. Supreme Court, in any case, certifies the revisions in the DSPE and CVC Act, providing the centre the ability to broaden the tenure of a CBI chief and ED chief by a potential 3 years past their compulsory two-year term.
The Center requested that the Supreme Court dismiss the petition challenging the decision to extend the ED director's tenure, stating that the petition lacked merit. The report also stated that the Centre informed the highest court that the petition was "clearly motivated by an oblique personal interest rather than any public interest litigation."
The Centre, last year in November, issued orders to extend the tenure of Enforcement Directorate (ED) Chief SK Mishra for a time of one year, for the third time, and again, one day before his retirement. This was his fifth year as the ED Chief.
The extension order read, "The Appointement Council of the Bureau has supported augmentation in tenure of Shri Sanjay Kumar Mishra as Director of Enforcement in the Enforcement Directorate for a time of one year past 18.11.2022 i.e upto 18.11.2023, or until additional orders, whichever is prior."
The government has extended Mishra's term as ED Director in 2021 by a similar order. Earlier to Mishra's extension, opposition parties complained that the government was misusing central agencies and harassing political leaders and members of civil society.
On November 19, 2018, SK Mishra assumed the position of ED chief for a fixed two-year term. Then, in November of last year, he got his first one-year extension.
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