A special NIA court has reprimanded the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for failing to provide clear, legible and complete copies of documents sought by Sachin Taliyan, one of the accused involved in the Gurugram twin blast case, observing that the agency failed to comply with its legal obligation under Section 230 of the BNSS.
The agency sought another month to provide the material, citing the voluminous nature of the data and the time-consuming exercise involved. The court, however, declined the request, noting that the NIA had already availed 15 days for the purpose. The court also directed that a copy of its order be sent to the director, NIA, New Delhi, specifically for information about the agency’s conduct.Arguments on an application seeking appointment of legal aid counsel to initiate proceedings under Section 356 (trial in absentia) of the BNSS against fugitive gangsters Randeep Singh alias Randeep Malik and Satinderjit Singh alias Goldy Brar will also be heard on the next date of hearing.
Special judge (NIA), Haryana, Vijayant Sehgal, said the documents sought by accused Sachin Taliyan were part of the final report submitted by the NIA and it was obligatory for the agency to provide clear and legible copies of the complete set of documents forming part of the report.The court noted that the NIA had neither filed its reply to Taliyan’s application seeking missing, illegible, dim, and deficient documents nor supplied the documents mentioned in the application. It observed that the agency’s conduct “cannot be appreciated” and directed it to supply the clear and legible documents forming part of the final report by September 3.
