Lok Sabha passes NIA (Amendment) Bill 2019

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha passed the National Investigative Agency (Amendment) Bill, 2019 on Monday.

Intervening in the debate on the Bill, Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Lok Sabha said that the Bill will strengthen the NIA and speed up trials in terrorism-related cases. It will give the investigation agency power to investigate offences committed outside India too, and mandates the setting up of Special Courts.

The Home Minister assured the Lower House that the Bill will not be misused. He asserted that the Modi government will never misuse it on the basis of religion but ensure that terrorism is finished off irrespective of the religion of the accused.

Responding to the allegation that the Bill will be misused as was done in the case of Prevention of Terrorism Act, the Home Minister said, repealing POTA was a political decision to save vote bank.

The Minister reiterated that POTA was effective in containing terror acts in the country. He added that NIA was introduced in the absence of POTA to wipe out terrorism from the country.

Earlier, the NIA (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was moved in the Lok Sabha by Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy. The amendment, he noted, should not curtail the rights of the citizens under article 14,19 and 21.

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