IRS Officer Rahul Navin Appointed ED's In-Charge Director As Sanjay Kumar Mishra's Tenure Ends
ED special director Rahul Navin was appointed as the in-charge Director of the central agency as the tenure of Sanjay Kumar Mishra as director comes to an end after the Supreme Court denied further extension.
Rahul Navin, a senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer from the 1993 batch, has taken over as the in-charge director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) following the conclusion of the tenure of the outgoing director, Sanjay Kumar Mishra, according to an official order. Navin's appointment is effective until the selection of a regular director or until further instructions are issued, the order stated. He was serving as the ED's special director.
“The President is pleased to order the cessation of tenure of Shri Sanjay Kumar Mishra, IRS(IT:1984) as Director of Enforcement in the Enforcement Directorate on 15.09.2023 and placing Shri Rahul Navin, IRS(IT: 1993), Special Director, Enforcement Directorate as in-charge Director, Enforcement Directorate till appointment of a regular Director or until further orders, whichever is earlier," read an official order.
SC Refused To Grant Further Extension To Sanjay Kumar Mishra's Tenure As ED Chief
The development comes after a recent ruling by the Supreme Court, which extended the term of ED chief Sanjay Kumar Mishra until September 15, while unequivocally stating that there would be no further extensions. The Supreme Court's decision followed its earlier pronouncement that had invalidated two notifications from the Indian government, each extending Mishra's service by a year.
Sanjay Kumar Mishra initially assumed the role of ED Director in 2018, and his original tenure was slated to conclude in November 2020. However, the Union government granted him three extensions, necessitating an amendment to the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) Act.
On July 27, the Supreme Court agreed to prolong Mishra's tenure until September 15, 2023, a move justified by "larger public interest" as stated by a special bench composed of Justices B.R. Gavai, Vikram Nath, and Sanjay Karol, news agency IANS reported. This extension was granted despite the court's earlier ruling that he should have vacated the post on July 31 in alignment with their prior judgment.
Nevertheless, the bench made it explicit that it would not entertain any subsequent requests from the government for further extensions of Mishra's term. As a result, the ED Director is set to relinquish his post on the night of September 15/16, 2023.
During the proceedings, the bench raised pointed questions about the ED's reliance on Mishra's continued tenure, asking whether the organisation lacked competent officers to handle the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) review. The bench expressed concerns about the perception that the department relied solely on one officer, potentially undermining the morale of the entire force.
"Are you not giving a picture that your entire department is full of incompetent officers? You have only one officer? Is it not demoralising the entire force?" it queried, as per IANS.
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