Picture : Twitter/ ANI
The Supreme Court has extended the tenure of Enforcement Directorate chief Sanjay Kumar Mishra till September 15 midnight in larger “public and national interest” after the Centre asserted his continuity is necessary in view of the ongoing FATF peer review and attempts by India’s neighbours to ensure the country falls in the grey list.
As per ANI report , The top court, which initially made a sharp observation, asking “are we not giving a picture that there is no other person and the entire department is full of incompetent people,” later relented and accepted the Centre’s request for extending Mishra’s tenure but for a period that is a month less than what it had sought.
The Centre was seeking an extension for Mishra till October 15 from the earlier July 31 deadline set by the top court.
A bench of Justices B R Gavai, Vikram Nath and Sanjay Karol said it was granting the extension in “larger public and national interest” but Mishra will cease to remain ED chief from the midnight of September 15.
“We find that in ordinary circumstances, such an application could not have been entertained. Taking into consideration the larger public interest, we are inclined to permit respondent number-2 (Sanjay Kumar Mishra) to continue for some more period. “We therefore, permit the respondent number-2 to continue as director of Enforcement Directorate till September 15, 2023. We clarify that no further application will be entertained for grant of extension to respondent number-2. We further clarify that respondent number-2 shall cease to be director of ED with effect from midnight of September 15-16, 2023,” the bench said in its order.
