TMC's Mahua Moitra Warns BJP After SC Terms ED Chief's Extension 'Illegal': 'We Will Fight You In Polls, Courts'

The Supreme Court on Tuesday held as 'illegal' the third extension granted to the Enforcement Directorate chief Sanjay Kumar Mishra.

New Delhi: As the Supreme Court on Tuesday held as 'illegal' the third extension granted to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) chief Sanjay Kumar Mishra, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said that they will 'never surrender'. Taking to her official Twitter account, Mamata Banerjee's party colleague also thanked the top court for ruling the extension invalid.

"Victory in my plea in SC against extension of ED Director. Thank you SC for ruling extension invalid. BJP - we shall fight you in the polls, we shall fight you in the courts. we shall fight in the fields & in the streets, we shall never surrender," Mahua Moitra tweeted.

Victory in my plea in SC against extension of ED Director. Thank you SC for ruling extension invalid.

BJP - we shall fight you in the polls, we shall fight you in the courts. we shall fight in the fields & in the streets, we shall never surrender. — Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) July 11, 2023

A bench of Justices BR Gavai, Vikram Nath, and Sanjay Karol on Tuesday said in view of the peer review being conducted by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) this year and to enable a smooth transition, ED director Sanjay Kumar Mishra's tenure will be till July 31.

The 62-year-old was otherwise to remain in office till November 18, 2023, according to the notification issued by the government.

The bench, however, affirmed the amendments of the Central Vigilance Commission Act, and the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act to extend the tenure of ED director for a maximum of five years.

Earlier on May 8, the SC had reserved its verdict on a batch of pleas challenging the third extension of service granted to the Enforcement Directorate chief which was defended by the Centre on grounds of the peer review being conducted by the FATF. The top court had on December 12 last year sought the response from the Centre and others to a plea challenging the third extension granted to Mishra.

It had issued notices to the Union of India, the Central Vigilance Commission and the ED director on a plea filed by Jaya Thakur which accused the central government of destroying the basic structure of democracy by misusing the enforcement agencies against its political opponents.

The bench gave the verdict on a batch of petitions, including those filed by Congress leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala and Thakur, and TMC's Mahua Moitra and Saket Gokhale.

Sanjay Kumar Mishra was first appointed ED director in 2018

Sanjay Kumar Mishra, a 1984-batch IRS officer, was first appointed the director of the ED for two years on November 19, 2018. Later, by an order dated November 13, 2020, the central government modified the appointment letter retrospectively, and his two-year term was changed to three years.

The government 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 term of two years.