Central Agency NIA's Offices In Every State: Amit Shah Sets 2024 Target Amid Friction

Move is along mandate already given to NIA, but is likely to add fresh spark to ongoing friction over how far the Centre can intervene in states

In an announcement likely to trigger another round of debate over Centre-state power-sharing, Union Home Minister Amit Shah today announced expansion of the National Investigation Agency.  #NewsAlert | National Investigation Agency (NIA) branches in all states by 2024: Union Home Minister Amit ShahNDTV's Neeta Sharma reports pic.twitter.com/nRVDWZTWX7

The central agency that probes terror-related cases will have offices in all states by 2024 — moving beyond four metro cities where it has hubs at present — as per his announcement. He said this at the inaugural session of a ‘Chintan Shivir' — Discussion Camp — of home ministers of all states organised by the Centre at Haryana's Surajkund, near Delhi.  

Law and order, essentially, is a state subject. But the NIA, formed in 2008 and given more powers in 2019, has “extra-territorial powers”, Mr Shah said. This means it can probe crimes that take place anywhere in India, or even acts abroad that have implications here, and does not need mandatory permission from states. 

Ongoing friction over federal jurisdiction is among reasons why the two-day Chintan Shivir is already seeing at least four non-BJP chief ministers, who hold charge of their Home departments, choosing to give it a miss.