Extension of power

New Ordinances will make CBI and ED less independent

Two Ordinances promulgated just ahead of the winter legislative session are likely to disrupt the functioning of Parliament. They extend the terms of two of the country’s most powerful investigative agencies, the directors of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), from two to five years. By themselves, longer terms for the heads of the CBI and ED may have been acceptable but the deception in both Ordinances lies in the detail. Instead of a consolidated five-year term, the Ordinances enable the government to extend each director’s tenure for a year at a time for three