The Director General of the General Department of Judgment Enforcement became the first person to receive a one-year extension in working days after the government passed an executive order to extend the terms of the heads of investigative agencies. Sanjay Kumar Mishra, who is retiring tomorrow, will now stay on until 18 November 2022 – or until further notice, read the order.
Heads of central agencies have a 2-year term, which can be extended to 5 years after the decree is issued. They can be renewed for three years each after they complete the two-year term.
Mr Mishra’s extension, which first appeared on 13 November last year, was challenged in the Supreme Court. But the judges refused to intervene, saying the CVC Act does not limit terms to two years and an extension could be introduced to end the ongoing cases. But there’s a caveat – such extensions, the judges said, can only be introduced in rare cases.
The ordinances issued on Sunday have also been challenged in summit court – with the petitioner claiming they were passed to circumvent the caveat of the highest court and curtail the independence of investigative agencies.
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