The Supreme Court has allowed ED Director Sanjay Mishra to continue in office till September 15 on the appeal of the Central Government. But during this, the court asked the central government whether apart from Mishra, the entire ED is full of incompetent officers.
“क्या संजय मिश्रा के अलावा पूरा ED नाकाबिल लोगों से भरा हुआ है?” सुप्रीम कोर्ट का मोदी सरकार से सवाल
“Is only the director capable in ED and the rest of the department is full of incompetent people?” The Supreme Court asked this question to the central government on Thursday when the government appealed to the court that ED Director Sanjay Kumar Mishra should be given one more service extension ‘in public interest’. The Supreme Court finally allowed Sanjay Mishra to continue as the Director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) till 15 September 2023, obeying the Centre.
Supreme Court Justice BR Gavai, Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sanjay Karol’s bench said that in “larger public interest and national interest” Sanjay Kumar Mishra is being allowed to remain in office only till September 15, but After this he will have to step down from this post.
The Central Government on Wednesday filed an application in the Supreme Court seeking another extension of service to Sanjay Kumar Mishra and argued that since the review of the Financial Action Task Force is going on, Mishra should be given an extension till October 15. The Center had said in the application that since the review is at a critical juncture, Mishra should be allowed to continue in office till October 15.
During the hearing, the Supreme Court asked a direct question to Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, “Are you not presenting such a picture that (besides Sanjay Mishra) no one else (officer) is fit for the post and The rest of the department is full of incompetent people, only the head of the agency is capable.”
Keep in mind that on July 11, 2023, the Supreme Court, while rejecting the application for extension of service of Mishra, had said that it is ‘not valid in law’ to continue giving him extension. The court had said that on July 31, Mishra would have to relinquish the post of ED director.
In fact, the central government has given extension of service to Sanjay Kumar Mishra twice. In November last year itself, Mishra was given a second extension just a day before his retirement. Now this was the third service extension, according to which Mishra could continue in his post till November 18, 2023. In this way, Sanjay Kumar Mishra would have probably become the first officer to stay on the post of ED director for five years.
Sanjay Mishra was first made the ED director on 19 November 2018 and his tenure was 2 years. A few days before the end of the first term, the Center gave him an extension and the President’s Office had revised his appointment to three years from the previous dates.