On December 16, 2025, the Supreme Court suggested that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) take over cases under central penal laws involving “organised, professional and hardcore” criminals. The Bench, led by Chief Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, recommended transferring such cases to special courts in Delhi that handle only NIA cases. Justice Bagchi said the NIA has power under Section 6 of the NIA Act, 2008 to take over investigations and prosecutions affecting India’s sovereignty and security from the states. The top court said bringing scattered cases from different states under one roof would improve the process. Chief Justice Kant noted, “An offence committed in one State may have repercussions in another, and a territorial jurisdiction problem may arise.” He added, “This itself becomes an issue delaying the criminal trial. The benefit goes to the hardcore criminal, which is not in the interest of the society and the nation.” The Supreme Court urged the Centre to consider laws that use the existing legal setup optimally. “There are multiple FIRs in different States, NIA can take over them,” said the CJI. The court said investigating by a single agency and trying cases in special courts would avoid contradicting judgments and protect evidence. This discussion arose from bail issues in NIA cases, where delays occur due to overloaded trial courts. The Supreme Court is working on creating enough “special and exclusive” NIA courts. Earlier hearings showed that even special courts get clogged with many cases, undermining their purpose. The apex court pointed out the heavy workload on judges who must handle ordinary crimes alongside terror and serious offence trials. Such delays hurt undertrials stuck in jail. Justice Kant had earlier asked the Centre if assigning existing courts as NIA courts harms other cases and people waiting for justice. The Supreme Court continues to push for better trial systems for sensitive organised crime cases.