Ex-ED Director Sanjay Kumar Mishra appointed to EAC-PM
New Delhi: The Union government has appointed former Enforcement Directorate (ED) Director Sanjay Kumar Mishra as a full-time member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM).
The government order, issued on Tuesday, confirms Mishra’s appointment in the rank and pay of a secretary to the government of India. “The appointment follows direct approval by the prime minister,” a senior government official stated. Mishra, a 1984-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, concluded his controversial tenure as ED chief on September 15, 2023, after the Supreme Court curtailed his extended service following multiple petitions challenging his tenure extensions.
The order added Mishra has been appointed in the rank and pay of secretary to the government of India, from the date of assumption of post, as per usual terms and conditions as are applicable to re-employed government officials.
The EAC-PM is an “independent” body constituted to give advice on economic and related issues to the government of India, specifically to the prime minister. Its current chairman is economist Suman Berry.
A vacancy arose in the body following the death of its former chairman Bibek Debroy in November, 2024.
The ED, during Mishra’s tenure, probed a number of high-profile people and politicians, including the first family of the Congress like Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul Gandhi and daughter Priyanka Gandhi apart from multiple chief ministers, ministers, MLAs and MPs under the criminal provisions of the anti-money laundering law which drew criticism from opposition parties that the agency was a “tool” and was acting at the behest of the Centre that is being ruled by the BJP.
He was appointed ED director in October, 2018 and had the second longest tenure of five years as the agency head. ED’s first director A M Chatterjee had the longest tenure of nearly 7.5 years between 1957 and 1965. The Union government had elevated Mishra to the secretary rank while he headed the ED, an additional secretary post as per existing government policy.
Mishra has served in the Income-Tax Department across various charges apart from the Union home ministry.
It was during Mishra’s tenure that the ED got deported VIP choppers case accused and British national Christian Michel apart from another prime suspect Rajiv Saxena to India while extradition proceedings were secured against economic fugitives like Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Sanjay Bhandari.
