Supreme Court Rethinks NIA Act Appeals Timeline

The Supreme Court of India has stated that appeals by accused or victims under the NIA Act should not be dismissed solely due to delays beyond 90 days. The court's decision challenges Section 21(5) of the Act, which limits appeals to 90 days post-judgment. Upcoming submissions are awaited.

In a significant judicial development, the Supreme Court of India announced on Tuesday that appeals from accused or victims under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act should not be rejected solely because of delays surpassing the 90-day mark.

Presided over by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Sanjay Kumar and K V Viswanathan, the bench was examining the constitutional validity of Section 21(5) of the NIA Act. This provision restricts the filing of appeals to within 30 days of a trial court's judgment, though it allows a high court to accept appeals in certain circumstances until 90 days, a limitation causing contention in current legal challenges.

The bench has invited parties involved to submit written arguments ahead of the next hearing, capping these submissions at three pages, as the bench heard petitions filed by Sushila Devi and Osman Shareef.

(With inputs from agencies.)