Ex-ED director appointed to economic advisor to PM Modi

New Delhi: Former Enforcement Directorate (ED) director Sanjay Kumar Mishra has been appointed by the Union government as a full-time member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM).

Mishra, 65, served as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) chief till September 15, 2023, after the Supreme Court curtailed his extended tenure following petitions filed against multiple extensions granted to him by the government.

A government order issued on Tuesday announced that Mishra, a 1984-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer of the Income Tax cadre, will serve as a full-time member of the EAC-PM following approval of his appointment by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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 several high-profile people and politicians, including Congress leaders like Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul Gandhi and daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra 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 deported the 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.