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The Central government has designated three new courts in Rajasthan, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh as "exclusive special courts" for the trial of scheduled offences being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) - India's premier investigative agency tasked with dealing with terrorist cases.
Scheduled offences are offences specifically listed in the Schedule of the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008, which include serious crimes related to terrorism, national security and other specified offences. The designations of the three new courts have been made under Section 11 of the NIA Act, 2008, in consultation with the respective High Court Chief Justices and state governments. The announcement was formally conveyed through a notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) last week. In Rajasthan, the Special Court (National Investigation Agency Act cases), Jaipur, has been designated as a Special Court exclusively for conducting trials of scheduled offences investigated by the NIA. Its jurisdiction will extend across the entire state. In Bihar, the court of the District and Additional Sessions Judge-XXVI, Patna, has been designated as Exclusive Special Court No. II of NIA cases. The court will exclusively conduct trials of scheduled offences investigated by the NIA, with jurisdiction extending throughout Bihar. Similarly, in Andhra Pradesh, the exclusive Special Court for the trial of NIA cases at Visakhapatnam has been designated as a Special Court under the NIA Act. Its jurisdiction will cover the entire state of Andhra Pradesh. The move is aimed at ensuring dedicated judicial mechanisms for the expeditious trial of offences investigated by the central anti-terror agency. Various special courts have been notified by the Central government for the trial of cases arising out of offences committed in various states and Union Territories. With the Centre designating three more courts in Rajasthan, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh as exclusive NIA Special Courts, the number of notified NIA Special Courts listed by the agency currently stands at nearly 60. The Central government, after due consideration and examination of the issues involved, proposed to enact a legislation to make provisions for the establishment of a National Investigation Agency in a concurrent jurisdiction framework, with provisions for taking up specific cases under specific Acts for investigation. Accordingly, the NIA Act was enacted on December 31, 2008, and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was born. At present, the NIA is functioning as the Central Counter Terrorism Law Enforcement Agency in India. As per the latest available data on NIA's website, the agency has registered a total of 690 cases to date, of which judgments have been pronounced in 169 cases. Of these, 156 cases have ended in conviction, reflecting a high conviction rate of 92.31 per cent. The figures highlight the agency's strong track record in securing convictions in cases investigated and prosecuted by it. The data covers cases registered and investigated by the NIA and underscores the effectiveness of its investigations and prosecution before designated courts. The agency continues to investigate cases involving scheduled offences under its mandate. (ANI)
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