PDP leader opposes including RPC under NIA Act

Senior PDP leader Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali today said the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC), Jammu and Kashmir's criminal law, should not be brought under the purview of the NIA act as the present law is best suited to deal with all cases including those related to terror.
"There is no need of extending the role of National Investigation Agency (NIA) to Jammu and Kashmir. The state Police is capable of investigating terror issues. It is the best law to deal with all cases including those related to terror," Ali said.
J-K Governor N N Vohra had yesterday said RPC should be brought under the purview of the NIA act that could give extraordinary powers to the central probe agency to take over any terror case.

In his address at the 7th foundation day of the NIA, Vohra had said the Union Home Ministry should take urgent steps to ensure that NIA's legal framework is suitably modified to enable effective investigation in terror cases and favoured bringing RPC under the ambit of NIA Act.
Ali said there was nothing bad in NIA Act and some of its good provisions could be incorporated in the Ranbir Panel Code.
Reacting to his statement, Ali said J&K is a special category state under Article 370 of Indian Constitution and no central law is applicable to the state till ratification by the state legislature.

The former PDP minister said the NIA Act is a central Act and the same cannot be extended to the state before the state legislature gives its consent.