The Centre on Saturday appointed IRS officer Sanjay Kumar Mishra as the new chief of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an additional capacity for three months till a full-time director of the agency that probes offences under Prevention of Money Laundering Act and Foreign Exchange Management Act.
Mishra, a 1984-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer of the Income Tax cadre, has been appointed as the principal special director in the central probe agency and entrusted with the "additional" charge of ED director for three months, the Government notification said.
His appointment as ED chief has been made "for a period of 3 months, or till the appointment of a regular incumbent, whichever is earlier", said an order issued by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mishra, posted as the chief commissioner of the Income Tax department 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, sources said.
He is expected to be empanelled soon and subsequently will head the ED in a regular capacity, the sources further said.
The post of ED director is an additional secretary rank post in the Union Government.
Mishra will take over from incumbent Karnal Singh whose tenure at the agency ends on Sunday.
Singh, a 1984-batch IPS officer of Union Territories cadre, will complete a tenure of over three years as the ED Director.
He had handled some high-profile investigation cases such as the VVIP helicopters case, cases against former Finance Minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti, and the Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya money laundering investigations.
Mishra, on his part has worked in various capacities in the Income Tax department and has also served in the Foreign Tax division of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) that deals with cases of Indians holding stash abroad.
He has steered the department's probe in the National Herald case that involves the Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi.
