The Supreme Court of India has initiated proceedings on a plea challenging the validity of the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008. A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued notices to the Centre and the NIA, seeking their responses to claims that the Act violates Article 14 (equality before law) of the Indian Constitution and exceeds the legislative powers of the Centre. The NIA was established as a central counter-terrorism agency in response to the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. Senior advocate Siddharth Dave, representing the petitioner, argued that the Act improperly allows the NIA to operate without the authority of a police station, questioning the legality of the agency's ability to register First Information Reports (FIRs). The court has mandated that a counter affidavit be submitted by the respondents within four weeks, with the petitioner allowed an additional two weeks for a rejoinder. The case is scheduled for further hearing on July 14.