Chennai: Tamil Nadu govt has constituted an additional sessions court in the city for the exclusive trial of cases investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), including counter-terrorism cases, espionage, aviation and maritime security and possession of weapons of mass destruction.
The Governor, after consultation with the Madras high court , has appointed one additional judge to the city civil court in Chennai, according to a gazette notification issued by the Home (Courts-II) Department on Sept 15. The appointment will take effect on the date on which the judge assumes charge.
The appointment comes following a Madras high court order delivered while hearing a bail plea by Mohamed Thalha, an accused in the 2022 Coimbatore car blast case. The court referred to Supreme Court directions for improving the pace of NIA trials and directed the Union govt to constitute exclusive courts for NIA cases in Tamil Nadu, and had also impleaded the state and central govts to file a response.