NEW DELHI, Nov 14: Two new ordinances to extend the terms of the chiefs of the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate to five years from the present two years have been promulgated by the central government. The president Ram Nath Kovind has already given his assent to the ordinances.
The chiefs of the two top central agencies can now be given extensions every year for three years after they complete the initial two-year term. “…Whereas the parliament is not in session and the President is satisfied that circumstances exist which render it necessary for him to take immediate action,” the ordinances underscore.
The statements further underline that “…no such extension shall be granted after the completion of a period of five years in total including the period mentioned in the initial appointment.”
The ordinance comes following a recent Supreme Court judgement by a bench headed by Justice LN Rao linked to the extension of Enforcement Directorate chief SK Mishra, who took charge in 2018. The bench had underlined that the extension of tenure “should be done only in rare and exceptional cases.”
The new development comes ahead of the completion of Mishra’s tenure on November 17, which was extended by another year last year, in what was called as an “unprecedented move” by some critics. The Enforcement Directorate, “a specialized financial investigation agency under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance,” investigates cases linked to Foreign Exchange Laws and Regulations and money laundering. The opposition parties, in the past, have accused the government of misusing central investigation agencies amid probes targeting top leaders and former ministers.
(Manas Dasgupta)
