The Supreme Court will take up on Friday a batch of petitions challenging the repeated extensions granted to Enforcement Directorate chief Sanjay Kumar Mishra and an amended law allowing a five-year relaxation on the tenure of the ED director.

A bench of Chief Justice N.V. Ramana and Justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli gave the assurance to senior advocate B.P. Patil when the lawyer, appearing for social activist Saket Gokhale, sought urgent listing of the matter.

Besides, Gokhale, the NGO Common Cause and Congress leader Jaya Thakur have questioned Mishra’s extension.

The petitioners in the tenure case have mainly challenged the Centre’s decision to grant a fresh one-year extension to Mishra through an office order dated November 17, 2021, on the ground that it has been done despite the Supreme Court ruling that the officer shall not be granted any further extension.

Further, the Centre has amended the Central Vigilance Commission Act to give a maximum extension of up to five years to an incumbent ED director, which too has been challenged.

Mishra had retired in May 2020 but continues to be in extension.

On September 8 last year, a bench of Justice L. Nageswara Rao (since retired) and Justice B.R. Gavai had ruled that the government can extend the tenure of ED officers only in “rare and exceptional cases” to complete investigations or other pressing commitments.