PTI

New Delhi, Dec 16: The government on Tuesday introduced two Bills providing for setting up of a National Investigating Agency (NIA) to probe terror cases across the country and to provide for deterrent provisions like detention without bail for up to 180 days and enhanced penalty of life imprisonment for those involved in terror acts.

The measures, coming against the backdrop of the Mumbai terror attacks and demand for tough anti-terror laws, also broadens the definition of terror acts to cover violence related to militancy, insurgency and Left-wing extremism. The National Investigating Agency Bill, 2008 and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2008 were tabled by Home Minister P Chidambaram in the Lok Sabha, a day after the Cabinet cleared the measures.

The NIA Bill that will have concurrent jurisdiction empowers the central government to decide what constitutes terror and investigate such attacks in any part of the country covering offences including challenge to country's sovereignty and integrity, bomb blasts, hijacking of aircraft and ships and attacks on nuclear installations.

The measures also provides for constitution of special courts to try offences under the NIA Bill and to provide for summary trial. The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill defines what constitutes terror acts intended to threaten the unity and sovereignty and to cause terror in people by using bombs, dynamites or other explosive substances or lethal weapons or poisonous gases or chemicals including biological, radio-active and nuclear.

Under the UAPA Bill, preventive detention of an accused can extend upto 180 days instead of 90 days as at present and no accused can be given bail without the prosecution being heard. Further bail can also be denied if the court feels that the charges against the accused are prima facie true. Foreign nationals who have entered the country illegally and unauthorisedly and are being accused under this law shall be denied bail.

Under the Bill, the courts shall draw a rebutable adverse presumption of offence against the accused if there was definite evidence through seizure of weapons and explosives from him.

In terms of substantive provisions, the definition of terrorist act is proposed to be slightly amended and several additional specific offences have been provided keeping in view the recommendations of the Administrative Reforms Commission and the requirement flowing from various international conventions and treaties regarding terrorism and financing of terrorism.

Actions that cause death and injuries to people, damage and destruction of property, disruption of essential services and supplies and overawe public functionary or cause his death by criminal force and detention, kidnapping and abduction of people to compel the central or state governments will attract the mischief of this law.

Punishment for making demands of radio-active substances and nuclear devices with the intention of committing a terrorist attack shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term that may extend to ten years and also with fine.