Former Enforcement Directorate (ED) Director Sanjay Kumar Mishra has been appointed as a full-time member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM).
The appointment, confirmed by a government order on Tuesday, comes after Mishra’s controversial tenure at the ED, during which the agency was accused of being weaponised against opposition leaders.
Sanjay Kumar Mishra, a 1984-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, served as the ED chief from 2018 until September 15, 2023. His extended tenure—granted through multiple extensions by the Union government despite legal challenges—was cut short by the Supreme Court following petitions that questioned the propriety of the extensions.
The court, while permitting him to remain in office until September 15, 2023, had made it clear that no further extensions would be considered.
The Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, which is officially described as an independent body advising the government on economic issues, now has Mishra as a full-time member in the rank and pay of a secretary to the Government of India.
The vacancy in the council arose following the death of its former chairman, Bibek Debroy, in November 2024.
Under Mishra’s leadership, the Enforcement Directorate pursued investigations against several prominent opposition figures under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Among the high-profile cases were probes into Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s husband, Robert Vadra.
Other political figures who faced ED scrutiny included Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, and National Conference leaders Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah.
The agency’s relentless pursuit of opposition leaders—often coinciding with crucial elections—drew sharp criticism from political observers and opposition parties, who accused the ED of acting as a tool for political vendetta.
Mishra’s extended tenure and his elevation to the secretary rank while leading the ED further reinforced allegations of institutional bias, as the government was seen to be circumventing legal constraints to retain him in office.
Mishra’s appointment as ED Director in 2018 was initially for two years, but in 2020, the government retrospectively modified his tenure, extending it to three years. Further extensions in 2021 and 2022 prolonged his leadership until November 2023. However, the Supreme Court intervened in July 2023, ruling that his tenure would end on September 15, 2023, while stating that further extensions would undermine democratic principles.
Political analysts argue that this move signals the continued rewarding of officials who have allegedly facilitated political witch hunts against dissenting voices.
Mishra’s tenure at the ED represents a broader pattern of investigative agencies being increasingly used to suppress opposition, raising serious questions about India’s democratic fabric. The political targeting of opposition figures through financial probes, arrests, and raids has been seen as part of a larger strategy to intimidate dissenting voices and consolidate power.
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