Centre moves SC seeking extension of tenure for ED chief SK Mishra

In a judgement earlier this month, the Supreme Court had dubbed the extension of ED chief Sanjay Kumar Mishra as illegal

The Centre on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court to extend the tenure of Enforcement Directorate (ED) chief Sanjay Kumar Mishra, reported Bar and Bench.

Earlier this month, a bench of Justices BR Gavai, Vikram Nath, and Sanjay Karol ordered Mishra to resign on July 31 - four months before his third extension expires in November. The court ruled that the two extensions granted to him in November 2021 and November 2022 were illegal.

On Wednesday, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta urged a bench led by Gavai to urgently hear a petition for a revision of the judgement. The court agreed to hear the case on Thursday (July 27) at 3.30 pm.

Mishra was first appointed as the ED's director for a two-year term on November 19, 2018. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government extended his tenure for a year in 2020.

In September 2020, the apex court directed the government not to extend Mishra's tenure any further. Despite the ruling, the government enacted two ordinances to ensure that the directors of the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) could serve for up to five years. This enabled Mishra to work for another year.

In November 2022, the government extended the tenure of the 1984-batch Indian Revenue Service officer for another year. He was to remain in office until November 18, 2023, according to the government's notification.