New Delhi: Senior IPS officer Rakesh Aggarwal was formally appointed as the director general of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), India’s premier counter-terrorism organisation, on Wednesday.

Aggarwal, a 1994-batch officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre, had been serving as the agency’s special director general. He also held an additional charge as the NIA's acting chief following the premature repatriation of the previous director general, Sadanand Vasant Date, to Maharashtra in late December 2025.

According to an order issued by the Personnel Ministry, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved Aggarwal’s elevation to the top post for a tenure lasting until his superannuation on August 31, 2028.

The appointment comes at a critical time for the NIA as it continues to spearhead investigations into high-profile terror networks and complex cross-border security threats. Aggarwal is widely recognised as a veteran in internal security, having previously held key positions in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and various state police roles.

With inputs from PTI