India News | HC Asks Himachal Pradesh Govt to Furnish Details of Pending Tests at State Forensic Labs

Shimla, Mar 3 (PTI) Hearing a writ petition over the tampering of evidence in criminal cases, the Himachal Pradesh High Court on Thursday directed the state government to furnish information on the samples yet to be tested at its forensic labs.

The court also asked the government to tell the average time taken to complete the process at the State Forensic Science Laboratory (SFSL) in Junga and Range Forensic Science Laboratories in Dharamshala and Mandi.

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The state government has further been directed to inform the court about the staff strength at the laboratories, number of posts lying vacant and defunct machines there.

The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Mohammad Rafiq and Justice Jyotsna Rewal Dua passed the order on a civil writ petition filed by one Neha Scott.

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The petitioner has alleged that the procedure of collection and sealing of physical evidence collected from the scene of crime is not up to the modern standards.

The sending of evidence in cloth and wax is archaic and needs to be done away with, the petitioner said.

The petitioner further submitted the investigation of any criminal case is the backbone of criminal justice in society. Hence, securing and collecting evidence needs to be properly packaged, sealed and labelled, which is tamper-proof with a barcode, the petition said.

The petitioner alleged that there have been many criminal cases in which the spirit of the case was dampened due to the tampering of evidence by officials.

The petitioner has prayed that instead of the archaic and outdated methods of sealing evidence, tamper-proof packaging be introduced and made as a cardinal principle in criminal cases throughout the state.

The petitioner further prayed that guidelines be issued to police officials regarding the collection, labelling and forwarding of evidence with new methodology and scientific method.

The matter has been posted for hearing on March 30.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)