The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday told a special court in Mumbai that while it is in favour of freedom of the press, the trial in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case should be held in-camera as it is a sensitive matter.

The NIA was responding to an application filed by several media persons earlier this month against the agency’s plea for in-camera hearing and barring the press from attending the proceedings. The agency had in its plea last month argued that private hearing was essential to maintain harmony in society and ensure the safety of witnesses it wished to examine.