Sanjay Kumar Mishra: Officer who recorded over 4,000 cases

Sanjay Kumar Mishra, a 1984 batch Indian Revenue Officer from Uttar Pradesh, was first appointed as the director of the probe agencies like the Enforcement Directorate for two years in 2018, but later it was extended for three more years. The government last year brought an ordinance that the tenure for the directors of the probe agencies can be extended by up to three years after furnishing the mandatory term.

Mishra increased the scrutiny on numerous former ministers and influential figures during his five years in office, leading the investigation agency to record 4,000 cases and carry out 3,000 searches.

SC calls Mishra’s extension of tenure illegal

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court declared the third extension illegal given to ED chief Sanjay Kumar Mishra, which was challenged in the top court saying that he cannot continue beyond July 31.

The decision of the top court on the cut down of Mishra’s extended tenure to July 31 came as a setback to the Centre even as it upheld the amendments under which a maximum of five-year tenure can be given to directors of the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). According to the information, the amendments were made to the Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Act, 2021, and the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Act, 2021 as well as to the Fundamental (Amendment) Rules, 2021.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is conducting a peer review this year, and to facilitate a smooth transition, a panel of Justices BR Gavai, Vikram Nath, and Sanjay Karol declared that Mishra’s tenure will last until July 31. FATF is a multinational organisation that directs efforts to combat financing of terrorism, proliferation, and money laundering.

VIPs who were on Mishra’s radar

People who have worked with Mishra describe him as someone who never forgets about any issue he is handling, concentrates on even the slightest details, and demands a lot from his staff. He is regarded as a man who is very interested in understanding how politics and business interact, as well as someone knowledgeable in taxation, economics, and foreign exchange.

Mishra as ED chief has investigated the politicians like former finance minister P Chidambaram, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar, NCP leader Sharad Pawar, former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, another minister Nawab Malik, National Conference leaders Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Tamil Nadu’s powerful minister Senthil Balaji, and former Trinamool Congress minister Partha Chatterjee among others.