October 27, 2018:
On Saturday, Indian Revenue Service Officer Sanjay Mishra was appointed as the new Enforcement Directorate Director (ED) in an additional capacity for 3 months.
He has also been appointed as the Principal Special Director in the same agency.
Karnal Singh who is the present ED Chief is set to retire today after heading the agency for more than two-and-half years.
Mishra, a 1984-batch IPS Officer of Union Territories cadre, is the Chief Commissioner of Income Tax in Delhi.
He has been involved in the probe against NDTV & has “guided” the investigation in the National Herald Case involving the Gandhi family as per I-T department sources.
Mishra has also served in Ahmedabad & has done stints in the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Enforcement Directorate.
Sources has said that Mishra has not been enlisted as an Additional Secretary in the Central Government and hence, has been given the top ED charge in an additional capacity.
He is expected to be enlisted soon and subsequently, will head the ED in a regular capacity.
Earlier there were speculations that Karnal Singh’s tenure may be extended again but developments in the CBI, especially in the past one week which saw the Government sending the Agency’s 2 Top Officers on administrative leave, seem to have scuttled his chances of continuing on the post.
Sources revealed that Karnal Singh too had decided to step back. He was given 3 extensions of three-month tenures in 2016 when he had an additional charge of the Director’s post.
Following a court order, he was granted a two-year tenure effective October 2016.
The development is also being seen as a fallout of the complaint CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana sent to Cabinet Secretary & the manner in which the Government responded.
In his complaint, Asthana named ED Joint Director Rajeshwar Singh and CBI Director Alok Verma as the 2 persons making “concerted efforts to tarnish my image”.
Incidentally, Karnal Singh & Alok Verma share the same UT cadre & both have had long stints in the Delhi Police.
Karnal Singh is also perceived to be close to Rajeshwar Singh. When the government gave an R&AW note against Rajeshwar Singh to the Supreme Court — the note alleged that Rajeshwar Singh had received a call from an ISI agent.
He has issued an Official Press release, defending his colleague & denying the charges.
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