Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Wednesday filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Centre’s ordinances to extend the ten...
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Wednesday filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Centre’s ordinances to extend the tenures of the directors of the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate to up to five years.
Earlier, the central agency chiefs were appointed for a fixed term of two years. Under the new provisions, their tenure can be extended by one year at a time after the first two-year period has been completed.
Moitra argued that the ordinances were an attack on the impartiality and independence of the two agencies, NDTV reported.
“[The ordinances] give [the Centre] unfettered discretion to pick and choose those directors for the purposes of extension of tenure who act in line with the government’s preferences,” she added.
My petition just filed in Supreme Court challenging Union Ordinances on extension to CBI & ED Director tenures being contrary to SC own judgements
— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) November 17, 2021
The Trinamool Congress MP argued that having the power to extend tenures would allow the Centre to “effectively control an incumbent ED or CBI director”, Live Law reported.
Moitra also pointed out that the ordinances contradicted an order passed by the Supreme Court in September.
The court in September had upheld the Centre’s decision to retrospectively extend Enforcement Directorate chief...
