Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday chaired the meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs on the topic “Forensic Science Capabilities: Strengthening for Time-bound and Scientific Investigation” at Kevadia town in Gujarat.
Shah said the Central Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi attaches utmost importance to the internal and external security of the country and is committed to the public welfare by strengthening the systems for crime detection and prevention and effective law enforcement.
The Ministry of Home Affairs under the guidance of the Amit Shah is committed to achieving a conviction rate of up to 90 per cent and providing a citizen-friendly and effective criminal justice system in the country.
Shah stressed on the need for investigating agencies to be one step ahead of criminals in view of the use of technology by them and said that the Modi government in collaboration with the State Governments is working on a three-pronged approach to reforms in Police Investigation, Prosecution and Forensics.
He said that this is the right time to focus on a technology-based and evidence-based investigation to achieve the targeted conviction rate.
The Home Minister further emphasized the capacity building of constables up to high-level police personnel in the use of advanced testing techniques.
He called for the establishment of an independent Directorate of Prosecution and an independent Directorate of Forensic Science in each State/UTs through the proposed comprehensive amendments to the Indian Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code and the Indian Evidence Act.
Shah said that the Modi government is also working towards making forensic investigation mandatory in all cases of offences punishable with imprisonment for more than six years.
He briefed the members of the Committee about the steps taken by the Central Government toward capacity building required to implement the proposed reforms.
He said that the National Defense University has been established for training manpower of law enforcement agencies to train them in the use of new technology to combat crime, especially cybercrime, dark-net etc. Apart from this, hackathons are also being organized to attract the expertise and innovation of the youth in new technologies.
The National Forensic Science University has been established to provide trained manpower for the forensic sector and the Central Government has requested the States to affiliate at least one college in each State with NFSU.
Shah said that a Modus Operandi Bureau has also been set up to identify the pattern of crime for the prevention of crime.
He informed that the members that the Central Government is providing funds to strengthen the forensic infrastructure across the country including setting up of Mobile Forensic Science Units in each district, and these units will serve at least three blocks in a district.
He said that steps are also being taken to standardize forensic equipment, instrument calibration, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) in all FSLs in the country for high-quality forensic results.
The meeting was attended by Members of Parliament, Ministers of State for Home Nityanand Rai, Ajay Kumar Mishra, Nishith Pramanik and Union Home Secretary along with senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs, NCRB and National Forensic Science University.