The Tamil Nadu government on October 6 announced the establishment of an additional court to fast-track cases investigated by the National Investigation Agency. The move aims to expedite judicial processes for critical national security matters.

According to a gazette notification issued by the Home (Courts-II) Department on September 15, the Governor, after consultation with the Madras High Court, appointed one additional judge to the city civil court in Chennai for the exclusive trial of NIA cases.

The new court will handle cases involving terrorism, espionage, aviation and maritime security, and the possession of weapons of mass destruction.

The immediate trigger was a Madras High Court order passed while hearing the bail plea of Mohamed Thalha, an accused in the 2022 Coimbatore car blast case. The High Court referred to Supreme Court directions on improving the pace of NIA trials.

The Supreme Court has pushed for dedicated NIA courts across the country. Eight new exclusive NIA courts have been set up nationally, taking the total to 22.