Former ED chief Mishra returns in key role as PM-EAC member

Former Enforcement Directorate (ED) chief Sanjay Kumar Mishra has been re-appointed as a full-time member of the Prime Minister-Economic Advisory Council (PM-EAC). He will fill the vacancy in the PM-EAC that was created after the demise of Bibek Debroy.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the reappointment of the retired top official in a key government role, it marked the return of two top PM aides to government work.

Mishra’s appointment order comes after former Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba was appointed as a full-time member of the government think tank, NITI Aayog, last night.

While Gauba’s five-year stint as Cabinet Secretary ended in August 2024, making him the longest serving Cabinet Secretary; Mishra was at the helm of the ED for five years, starting November 19, 2018.

Mishra was initially appointed as the ED chief for a two-year term in September 2018, but received four extensions although he had a ‘controversial’ tenure.

He had earlier stepped down from the post of ED Director in September 2023 after his re-appointment was challenged before the Supreme Court.

In July 2023 -- eight months into Mishra’s third term -- the SC had held his November-2022 extension invalid. The top court, however, allowed him to continue till September 2023 in the light of an ongoing Financial Action Task Force review of India.

Notably, when Mishra got his first extension as the ED chief and the same was challenged in the SC, the government had brought an ordinance and later a Bill in Parliament that allowed directors of the ED and the CBI to have conditional five-year tenures.

During Mishra’s tenure, the ED pursued several Opposition leaders in alleged money laundering cases. These included former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, JMM chief Hemant Soren, NCP founder Sharad Pawar and Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, among others. Record seizures were also done during his tenure.