IRS officer Sanjay Kumar Mishra was on Saturday appointed the new chief of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an additional capacity, a government order said.
Mishra, a 1984-batch Indian Revenue Service officer of the Income Tax cadre, has been appointed as the Principal Special Director in the agency and has been entrusted with the additional charge of ED Director for three months.
Mishra will take over from incumbent Karnal Singh whose tenure at the agency ends on Sunday.
A report in The Indian Express, said there was speculation earlier that Singh’s tenure may be extended again. However, recent developments in the CBI, where the Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana were sent on administrative leave, seem to have derailed Singh's prospects of continuing as the ED chief.
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The report said Mishra has been associated with the probe against television news channel NDTV, besides has also "guided" the investigation in the high-profile National Herald case, which involves members of the Gandhi family including Congress President Rahul Gandhi.
Singh, a 1984-batch IPS officer of Union Territories cadre, will complete an over three year tenure as the ED Director.
Official sources said Mishra, posted as chief commissioner of Income Tax in Delhi at present, has not been empanelled 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 empanelled soon and subsequently will head the ED in a regular capacity, they said.
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The ED director post is an additional secretary rank post in the Union government.
The ED enforces two major laws in the country to check black money — the criminal Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
(with PTI inpouts)
