Lok Sabha passes NIA Amendment Bill to give more power to anti-terror agency

In a bid to give more power to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Lok Sabha on Monday passed a bill to allow India's anti-terror agency to investigate cases of terrorism targeting Indians as well as Indian assets abroad. The Bill, which amends the NIA Act, 2008, was first introduced by the Minister for Home Affairs, Amit Shah, on July 8, 2019. The Act provides for a national-level agency to investigate and prosecute offences listed in a schedule (scheduled offences). It also facilitates the creation of Special Courts for the trial of scheduled offences.