'Ulterior political motives': Opposition slams govt over extension to ED Director Sanjay Mishra

Enforcement Directorate (ED) Director Sanjay Kumar Mishra. Pic/PTI

The Opposition slammed the BJP-led Centre on Friday over the extension of the tenure of Enforcement Directorate (ED) chief Sanjay Kumar Mishra till September 15, alleging that this was done with "ulterior political motives" and was aimed at targeting the leaders of the INDIA bloc with "false cases" to weaken the alliance.

The Supreme Court on Thursday extended Mishra's tenure till the midnight of September 15 in larger "public and national interest", after the Centre asserted that his continuity is necessary in view of the ongoing FATF peer review and attempts by India's neighbours to ensure that the country gets into the "grey" list.

The top court, which initially made a sharp observation and asked "are we not giving a picture that there is no other person and the entire department is full of incompetent people", subsequently relented and accepted the Centre's request for extending Mishra's tenure, but for a month less than what was sought.

Addressing a joint press conference outside Parliament, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha alleged that Mishra was given the extension despite an illegality.

"It has been done for ulterior political motives. There is talk on the corridors of power that there will be an attempt to break the INDIA alliance by resorting to lies. We know about this and we want to tell this to the government," he said.

Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav said the Supreme Court asking whether there is "no other person and the entire department is full of incompetent people" was telling.

"There is an attempt to oblige one person and there is a conspiracy to trap opposition leaders in false cases," he alleged.

The Congress's deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, Pramod Tiwari, also referred to the apex court's observation and wondered why Mishra was given an extension for only a month and a half and what would happen in this period.

"They (BJP) did everything to destabilise governments in Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand, but failed politically. Now, they are using agencies and want to slap false cases on opposition leaders.... INDIA has come to the fore and is saying BJP gaddi choro (quit power)," he said.

Trinamool Congress's (TMC) Sushmita Dev alleged that the ED is a "weapon that works for the BJP".

"The Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand governments were targeted using agencies. They wanted to destablise these governments and weaken the INDIA alliance," she said.

Twenty-six opposition parties have formed the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) to take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unitedly in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

On July 11, the top court held that two back-to-back year-long extensions granted to Mishra were "illegal" and said the Centre's orders were in "breach" of its mandamus (judicial writ) in a 2021 verdict that the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer should not be given a further term.

It had also curtailed Mishra's extended tenure to July 31 from November 18, 2023, when he was supposed to retire.

Mishra was first appointed as the ED director for two years on November 19, 2018. By an order dated November 13, 2020, the Centre modified the appointment letter retrospectively and Mishra's two-year term was changed to three years.

The Centre also promulgated an ordinance last year under which the tenure of the ED and CBI chiefs could be extended by up to three years after the mandated two-year term.

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