Fighting a naxal plague which caused destruction at many levels: NIA

New Delhi, July 14: In a strongly worded affidavit, the National Investigation Agency said that the naxal plague has caused destruction at many levels. The affidavit was filed while opposing a plea by Surendra Gadling and Sudhir Dhawale who had challenged the transfer of the investigation to the NIA.

The NIA said that the petitioners had gone to the extent of scandalising and questioning the credibility of the NIA who are fighting for the prevention of unlawful and terrorist activities in the country in which the naxal plague has caused destruction at many levels.

The case was originally filed by the Pune Police and then transferred to the NIA on January 24 2020.

The NIA said that the Centre directed that the probe be transferred to the NIA after it took into consideration the gravity of the offence and the inter-state links with implications on national security.

The petitioners however contended that there was no compelling reason to transfer the probe to the NIA. The case was transferred due to malafide and political expediency, they also contended.

The NIA while terming the petitions as reckless said that the same was filed with the sole purpose of misleading the court and thwarting the ongoing investigation being carried out by the NIA. The probes are being conducted in a responsible manner and there was enough material against the accused persons, which had also been acknowledged by the Supreme Court of India.

The petitioners have raised a direct attack on the criminal justice system by casting aspersions against the NIA. The petitioners have made it a tradition to file write petitions directly or through others, when the probe is in progress, the NIA said. This is nothing by a sheer abuse of the due process of law, the NIA also said in the affidavit filed in the Bombay High Court.