Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday stressed the need to increase the conviction rate in the country and integrate the criminal justice system with forensic science-based investigation to improve the law and order situation in India. can be corrected.
Shah highlighted that the country is making progress in the field of forensic science.
He said that the country would have the largest number of forensic science experts in five years.
He said, “I can tell the countrymen that, if any country in the world will have the maximum number of forensic science experts in five years, then they will be in India. This is because India’s National Forensic Science University is the first such unique university in the world”.
Shah, after laying the foundation stone of an off-campus of the National Forensic Science University here, said the world of crime is changing rapidly, be it counterfeit currency, hawala transactions, cross-border infiltration, narcotics, cyber crime. Be it crimes against women, the criminals have outnumbered the police.
He said, “Until the police is two steps ahead of the criminals, prevention of crime is impossible. If the police have to stay two steps ahead, we have to increase the conviction rate. Unless the basis of investigation is scientific, we will not be able to punish the culprits in the court”
He suggested that in the case of offenses where the punishment is more than six years, the Forensic Science Officer should reach the place of crime first.
The Union Minister appreciated the Karnataka Police for implementing it in urban areas and said that it would be helpful in crime detection and conviction.
The event was attended by Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, several state government ministers, legislators, top officials of home and police departments.
Shah said that as India progresses, challenges will also increase. He said that experts need to be prepared according to those challenges. He said that there are three parts to law and order, a practical law and order which is handled by the police, crime investigation in which forensic science has a big role to play and then strengthening the criminal justice system.
He said, “Forensic science evidence will be given importance in our justice system, so we are amending IPC, CrPC and Indian Evidence Act to punish criminals on the basis of scientific evidence.”
He said that now is not the era of torture. He said the conviction rate in Canada is 62 per cent, Israel 93 per cent, UK 80 per cent and the US 90 per cent, while in India it is 50 per cent.
Shah said, “We cannot lag behind in this. If the law and order situation in the country is to be rectified, then we have to increase our conviction rate. We have to integrate our criminal justice system with forensic science based investigation”
He said that forensic science investigation should be made mandatory for some heinous crimes.
He said to make forensic testing ‘compulsory’ for crimes punishable by more than six years across the country, we would need 8,000-10,000 forensic science experts every year for nine years.
He said that now, with NFSU campuses gradually opening up at various places across the country, we will get 10,000 experts who will strengthen the criminal justice system in the years to come.
During his address, Shah credited former Deputy Prime Minister and former Union Home Minister LK Advani for starting the Department of Forensic Science in the country and focusing on the subject.
He said, later Narendra Modi as Chief Minister of Gujarat initiated best-in-class forensic science laboratories and identified the shortage of trained experts, which resulted in the establishment of Gujarat Forensic Science University.
Shah said that in his second term as prime minister, Modi thought of the National Forensic Science University and it is established.
Shah said that he is proud that when the university established in Gujarat, he was the home minister of the state while it was established at the national level when he was the home minister of the country.
Mentioning that the foundation stone for the ninth off-campus of the National Forensic Science University has been laid at Dharwad, Shah said that the NFSU’s campus would provide education in cyber security, digital forensics, artificial intelligence, DNA forensics, food processing, environmental forensics and Subjects related to forensic science like agricultural forensics will be taught up to expert level.
