By PTI
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought response of the Centre and the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) in 10 days on a batch of petitions difficult the extension of tenure of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) director and the amended legislation permitting such extensions as much as 5 years.
A bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli issued notices to the respondents, together with the Centre, CVC and the current ED Director, based mostly on as many as eight petitions, together with those filed by Congress leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala and Jaya Thakur and TMC’s Saket Gokhale.
Lawyer M L Sharma claimed to have filed the primary petition on the problem.
“Issue notice to the central law agency. List after 10 days,” the bench mentioned.
Senior advocate A M Singhvi, showing for Surjewala, referred to the apex court docket judgements and mentioned the mounted tenures are the hallmark of independence and the truth that an incumbent might get an extension will demolish the independence of the workplace.
Surjewala’s plea has challenged the modification made by the central authorities to the elemental idea determined by the apex court docket in two judgements within the Vineet Narayan and the Common Cause instances which have been on mounted tenure.
“This amendment basically puts the incumbent on a fiduciary kind of pattern where one year, two year and three-year extension at the discretion of the executive can be achieved. The amendments provide that you can get extensions piecemeal,” he mentioned.
The proven fact that an officer can get the extension in itself demolishes the independence, he mentioned.
During the listening to, the bench was knowledgeable concerning the appointment strategy of the ED Director beneath the CVC and the FEMA legal guidelines.
Singhvi mentioned not like the CBI, the committee, which appoints ED Director, comprised solely the chief.
Senior advocate Gopal Sankarnarayanan, showing for one the petitioners, mentioned the current ED Director could be finishing 4 years within the submit this 12 months, and an ordinance was promulgated just a few days earlier than his retirement on November 18 final 12 months extending his tenure by a 12 months extra.
Advocates Shashank Ratnoo and Varun appeared for Jaya Thakur, a Madhya Pradesh Congress chief who has filed a separate PIL within the matter.
Advocate M L Sharma, who has filed the plea in his private capability, mentioned the impugned ordinance was handed in violation of the constitutional scheme.
A complete of eight petitions have been filed on the problem, largely difficult the Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Act, 2021 which gives for extension of the time period of ED’s director as much as 5 years The Centre had on November 17, 2021 prolonged the tenure of ED chief Sanjay Mishra by a 12 months until November 18, 2022, days after the Centre introduced ordinances to permit the ED and CBI administrators to occupy the workplace as much as 5 years.
Mishra is a 1984-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer of the Income Tax (IT) cadre.
The apex court docket in its September 8 judgement on a petition of NGO Common Cause’ had mentioned an inexpensive interval of extension could be granted to facilitate the completion of ongoing investigations solely after causes are recorded by the Committee constituted beneath Section 25 (a) of the CVC Act.
It had additionally made it clear that no additional extension could be granted to Mishra.
The court docket had additionally said that an extension of tenure of the director ought to be for a brief interval.
“We do not intend to interfere with the extension of tenure of the second respondent (Mishra) in the instant case for the reason that his tenure is coming to an end in November 2021. We make it clear that no further extension shall be granted to the second respondent,” the bench had mentioned.
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought response of the Centre and the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) in 10 days on a batch of petitions difficult the extension of tenure of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) director and the amended legislation permitting such extensions as much as 5 years.
A bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli issued notices to the respondents, together with the Centre, CVC and the current ED Director, based mostly on as many as eight petitions, together with those filed by Congress leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala and Jaya Thakur and TMC’s Saket Gokhale.
Lawyer M L Sharma claimed to have filed the primary petition on the problem.
“Issue notice to the central law agency. List after 10 days,” the bench mentioned.
Senior advocate A M Singhvi, showing for Surjewala, referred to the apex court docket judgements and mentioned the mounted tenures are the hallmark of independence and the truth that an incumbent might get an extension will demolish the independence of the workplace.
Surjewala’s plea has challenged the modification made by the central authorities to the elemental idea determined by the apex court docket in two judgements within the Vineet Narayan and the Common Cause instances which have been on mounted tenure.
“This amendment basically puts the incumbent on a fiduciary kind of pattern where one year, two year and three-year extension at the discretion of the executive can be achieved. The amendments provide that you can get extensions piecemeal,” he mentioned.
The proven fact that an officer can get the extension in itself demolishes the independence, he mentioned.
During the listening to, the bench was knowledgeable concerning the appointment strategy of the ED Director beneath the CVC and the FEMA legal guidelines.
Singhvi mentioned not like the CBI, the committee, which appoints ED Director, comprised solely the chief.
Senior advocate Gopal Sankarnarayanan, showing for one the petitioners, mentioned the current ED Director could be finishing 4 years within the submit this 12 months, and an ordinance was promulgated just a few days earlier than his retirement on November 18 final 12 months extending his tenure by a 12 months extra.
Advocates Shashank Ratnoo and Varun appeared for Jaya Thakur, a Madhya Pradesh Congress chief who has filed a separate PIL within the matter.
Advocate M L Sharma, who has filed the plea in his private capability, mentioned the impugned ordinance was handed in violation of the constitutional scheme.
A complete of eight petitions have been filed on the problem, largely difficult the Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Act, 2021 which gives for extension of the time period of ED’s director as much as 5 years The Centre had on November 17, 2021 prolonged the tenure of ED chief Sanjay Mishra by a 12 months until November 18, 2022, days after the Centre introduced ordinances to permit the ED and CBI administrators to occupy the workplace as much as 5 years.
Mishra is a 1984-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer of the Income Tax (IT) cadre.
The apex court docket in its September 8 judgement on a petition of NGO Common Cause’ had mentioned an inexpensive interval of extension could be granted to facilitate the completion of ongoing investigations solely after causes are recorded by the Committee constituted beneath Section 25 (a) of the CVC Act.
It had additionally made it clear that no additional extension could be granted to Mishra.
The court docket had additionally said that an extension of tenure of the director ought to be for a brief interval.
“We do not intend to interfere with the extension of tenure of the second respondent (Mishra) in the instant case for the reason that his tenure is coming to an end in November 2021. We make it clear that no further extension shall be granted to the second respondent,” the bench had mentioned.
