The National Investigation Agency (Amendment) Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on Monday. The legislation strengthens the NIA’s powers to investigate terror cases both in India and abroad.

What the bill does

The bill lets the agency investigate terror attacks on Indian citizens and on Indian interests overseas. According to sources, the changes will also allow it to probe cybercrime and human trafficking. Sources said the Union Home Ministry had been considering changes to the two relevant laws since 2017 to equip the agency for new challenges. The NIA was created in 2009 after the Mumbai terror attack, in which 166 people were killed.

Debate in the House

Several opposition leaders attacked the bill, alleging that the government uses investigating agencies to settle political scores, and some MPs said anti-terror laws were sometimes misused against members of a particular community. Home Minister Amit Shah said the Modi government would never misuse the law on religious grounds, and that its aim was to end terrorism regardless of the accused person’s religion. “The Modi government has no such intention,” he said.

Shah also criticised the UPA government, led by the Congress, over its repeal of the anti-terror law POTA, saying it had done so to protect its vote bank rather than because of misuse. Responding to questions from members, including on the backlog of cases, he said each state has only one designated NIA court and that these courts would hear only NIA cases.

See also: Lok Sabha members | Election news

Originally published on 16 July 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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