Understanding the difference between CBI and NIA
Two of the government agencies in India that are responsible for the safety and security of the people are the CBI and the NIA. CBI stands for the Central Bureau of Investigation for India and NIA stands for the National Investigation Agency for India. The CBI is the agency that handles intelligence matters, criminal investigations and is the national security agency for the country. The NIA is a government agency that controls terrorism.
The CBI dates back to 1963 and has the motto of “integrity, impartiality and industry”. NIA was only established following the terrorist attack in Mumbai in 2008. It was only at this time that the government realized that it did need to create a central agency to handle matters of terrorism and thus the NIA was formed.
Even though the NIA is a government agency, the CBI is the central office for the police force of India. Its primary responsibility is for investigating major crimes that occur in the country and as a result it does have an impact on its politics and economics. There are three investigative divisions within this agency: the anti-corruption division, the economic crimes division, and the special crimes division. It normally handles cases that involve the interests of the central government as well as large cases involving fraud, embezzlement and cheating in any companies.
The framework of the NIA is still in the development stages, but it does have the responsibility of investigating terrorist offenses. They take over cases that are transferred to them. Any accused person cannot be released from jail on bail or on his own recognizance. Therein lies the main difference between the two agencies.