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The Supreme Court on Tuesday (November 18, 2025) remarked that bail can be stopped in cases probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) provided trial is concluded within six months.
A Bench headed by Justice Surya Kant agreed with Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Union government, that NIA investigates cases with national repercussions.
The court was considering the setting up of sufficient number of “special and exclusive” NIA courts.
“We will see these courts work day and night exclusively for you [NIA],” Justice Kant remarked.
The hearing saw lawyers discuss how special courts constituted to try offences under a particular special statute eventually have their dockets clogged by other cases, defeating the very purpose for which they were formed.
The apex court has repeatedly referred to the sheer burden of trial judges who have to multi-task — hear ordinary criminal cases while sparing the time to try terror and heinous offences. Delays in trial leave undertrials languishing in prisons.
During an earlier hearing, the apex court had highlighted that stagnant or non-starter trials were mainly caused by existing courts being given the additional responsibility to double up as NIA and Special Courts.
“Designation of an existing court or entrustment of exclusive trials under the NIA Act to such designated courts would incontrovertibly be at the cost of other court cases, including hundreds of under-trials who are languishing in jail, senior citizens, marginalised persons,” Justice Kant had asked the Centre in July.
Published – November 18, 2025 12:53 pm IST
