Govt plans to give more powers to NIA

Aiming to give more teeth to NIA, the government is contemplating to empower the anti-terror investigating agency by allowing it to probe in foreign countries if there is any attack on Indians and Indian assets.
Official sources said the Home Ministry is planning to amend the National Investigation Agency Act, enacted in 2008 after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, to give additional powers to the agency mandated to investigate all terror- related cases.
As per the proposal, NIA will be given powers to investigate in foreign soil, with the permission of the host government, since there have been instances of attacks on Indians and Indian assets like foreign missions in the past.

A note for the Union Cabinet is being prepared and once it is cleared, the amendments will be tabled before Parliament for its nod before it is included in NIA Act, sources said.
The conspiracy of Pathankot terror attack was also hatched in Pakistan.
NIA may also be given special power to keep eyes on activities of modules of Middle-East terror group ISIS and Pakistan-based terror groups to ensure any attempt to harm India will be detected in advance.
Also, NIA may be authorised, through the amendment of the Act, to commute the charge of death penalty to life imprisonment in plea bargaining cases.

There are several administrative gaps in NIA Act and through the amendment these loopholes would be plugged, sources said.