The apex court on Thursday, 27 July, extended the term of Enforcement Directorate (ED) Chief SK Mishra till 15 September. The court said the order was in “larger public interest.”
The bench of Justices BR Gavai, Vikram Nath, and Sanjay Karol, however, added that no further pleas for extension will be entertained.
The bench, as per Livelaw, went on to say:
“We also direct that the respondent will cease to be the director of ED with effect of midnight of 15th/16th September 2023.”
FORMERLY: Mishra’s tenure was slated to come to end on Monday, 31 July, in accordance with a Supreme Court judgment from earlier this month.
The Centre had sought an extension till 15 October. This, it said, was in view of the ongoing FATF review.
BACKGROUND: On 11 July, the top court ruled that the extension granted to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) chief Sanjay Kumar Mishra is illegal since it violated the top court's 2021 judgment in the Common Cause case.
In that ruling, the top court had held that Mishra cannot be given an extension beyond November 2021.
"Although the basis of a judgment can be taken away, the legislature cannot annul the specific mandamus that barred further extension...That would amount to sitting in appeal over judicial act", the bench said.
The court, however, had allowed him to continue till 31 July, taking into consideration the FATF review.
SK Mishra was first appointed the ED director for a period of two years by an order on 19 November, 2018.
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