Enforcement Directorate head, S.K Mishra
A move by the Central government to issue ordinances that woulD extend the tenures of the heads of the Central Burea of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate has been met with opposition from the Indian National Congress. The Congress alleges dhat the move is meant to tighten the hold of the BJP on the national agencies which will then be used against their opponents.
"Both ordinances promulgated by NDA/BJP Govt go against Spirit of Jain Hawala judgement that gave stability of tenure to Director CBI& ED to insulate them from Political interference. Question -1 why extend the Tenure from 2-5 years ?Are they no competent officers left in the country?" tweeted senior Congress leader Manish Tewari. "...By hanging the allurement of yearly extensions before people who would occupy these sensitive offices NDA/BJP Govt wants to subvert whatever little is left of institutional integrity of these two Org's Message is clear Hound the opposition & get extensions."
The Vineeth Narain case saw several landmark rulings by the apex court that brought the CBI and ED out from under the influence of government officials and into the aegis of the Central Vigilance Committee as well as fixing the tenure of directors at two years with transfers only under extraordinary circumstances approved by the central committee.
Crucially, the two new ordinances come just days before Enforcement Directorate head S.K Mishra who has come to the end of a one-year extension to his tenure by the government of India. The matter of the extension was taken to the Supreme Court which said the extension was permissible but could not go beyond November 17, 2021.
"Modi Govt uses ED-CBI as henchmen to usurp power & destabilise elected Govts. Raids by ED, CBI on the Opposition leaders has become a norm. Now, these henchmen are being empowered & rewarded with 5 yrs tenure, so that malicious prosecution is used to silence dissenting voices," said Randeep Surjewala, General Secretary of the Indian National Congress.