Credibility of govt, probe agency at stake

The Supreme Court has rightly pulled up the Union Government for granting a third extension of service to Enforcement Directorate (ED) chief Sanjay Kumar Mishra. ‘Is there is no other person in the organization who can do his job? Can one person be so indispensable?’ —the court’s questions have cornered the Centre, which claims that Mishra’s extension was necessitated by administrative reasons and was vital for India’s evaluation by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The government’s contention — continuity of the ED’s leadership is crucial to ensure that India’s FATF rating does not go down — has cut no ice with the SC Bench. The government’s decision has laid bare its blatant disregard for orders of the apex court, which had stated in its 2021 judgment that any extension of tenure granted to officers holding the post of ED Director after attaining the age of superannuation should be for a short period and that no further extension should be given to Mishra.

Opposition parties have been accusing the Centre of misusing the ED — the country’s premier agency that investigates cases of money laundering and violation of foreign exchange laws — to settle political scores. Congress and TMC leaders are among the petitioners who have challenged the amended law that allowed extension to the ED chief, even as the Supreme Court had issued notices to the Centre and the directorate a month ago on a petition challenging the ‘unfettered’ powers the ED wields under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act for search, seizure, summons and arrest.The Mishra-led ED has also been under fire from the Aam Aadmi Party, which has alleged that the Central agency is trying to frame and defame its senior leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh, in the Delhi excise policy case. Despite the Opposition’s allegations, the Centre has given another extension to Mishra, thereby giving it an opportunity to question the motives behind such a move. At stake here is the credibility of the government as well as the ED. With the matter being under judicial scrutiny, it is vital to prioritize transparency in the selection and functioning of the ED Director.
(Tribune, India)