Bill to give more power NIA okayed

Empowering the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to probe terrorist acts against Indians and Indian interests abroad, the Union Cabinet on Monday cleared amendments in the existing law that allows the premier agency to investigate cyber crimes and human trafficking cases.

The amendments to the NIA Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) were cleared in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They are likely to be introduced in the ongoing Parliament session as separate bills.

According to officials, the amendment to Schedule 4 of the UAPA will also allow the NIA to designate an individual suspected to have terror links as a terrorist. At present, only outfits are designated as 'terrorist organisations'.

Once the amendments are passed, NIA will have powers similar to probe agencies like Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Scotland Yard.

The proposal to allow NIA, set up in 2009 in the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, to investigate terrorist acts against Indians and Indian interests abroad was being considered since 2016.

In November 2016, the Ministry of Home Affairs informed Parliament that a proposal to enable the NIA to take up investigation of scheduled offences committed beyond India is being put out for public consultations.