The Congress on Wednesday said the National Investigation Agency Bill takes away the rights of the states to investigate cases that fall under their jurisdiction.
Initiating a debate on the Bill in Rajya Sabha, Vivek Tankha of the Congress said, ‘The purpose of the NIA act 2008 was to assign investigation in sensitive cases in the state to an efficient agency like the NIA with the state police assisting it in the probes. However, what is happening is that the state police authorities are not involved in the process of investigation.’
He said section 6 of the present Bill gives power to the Centre to hand over to the NIA a case being investigated by a state Government. ‘It is an affront on the rights of the states,’he said.
Earlier, introducing the Bill, Minister of state for Hime Krishna Reddy said that the Bill was aimed to strengthen the NIA to tackle terrorism.
‘It is essential to strengthen the NIA to mete out the strictest punishment to terrorists,’ Reddy said. The Minister said that the Bill would enable speedy trial of terrorism offences.
This Bill gives NIA officers power to investigate offences committed outside India and mandates the setting up of Special Courts.
(UNI)
