New Delhi: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah chaired a meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs at Sri Vijaya Puram in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The meeting focused on the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) and the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU). Union Ministers of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai and Bandi Sanjay Kumar, members of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee, the Union Home Secretary, the Vice Chancellor of NFSU, the Director General of the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), and other senior officials were present.
Addressing the meeting, Amit Shah said the Ministry of Home Affairs has held 12 meetings of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee since 2019, yielding positive outcomes. He said it is the Prime Minister’s vision that once the new criminal laws are fully implemented, justice should be delivered within a fixed timeframe. He added that by 2029, the government aims to create a system in which the entire judicial process—from FIR registration to the Supreme Court—can be completed within three years. Reforms initiated since 2022, he said, are aligned with this objective, with the ministry carrying out 360-degree monitoring to address gaps.
The Home Minister said the government has been focusing on strengthening forensic capabilities since 2020 to improve the justice delivery system. Although the new criminal laws came into force in July 2024, preparatory work on forensic integration had already begun earlier, with visible results now emerging.
He noted that after the introduction of the new criminal laws, the speed of investigations and conviction rates has increased. Citing examples, he said in West Bengal, an accused in a minor rape case was sentenced to death within 62 days, while in Bihar’s Siwan district, two accused in a triple murder case were convicted within 50 days. These cases, he said, demonstrate positive outcomes, though further strengthening of the system is required.
Amit Shah said the system earlier faced challenges such as technological gaps in forensic investigations, weak chain of custody, non-submission of forensic reports to courts, shortage of skilled professionals and laboratories, and absence of nationwide standards. Under the new legal framework, forensic laboratories will now send reports directly to courts, with copies provided to police. He said the Centre and states will invest around Rs. 30,000 crore over the next five years to build a nationwide forensic laboratory network, alongside developing uniform national standards.
He said reforms have focused on scientific processes, secure databases, technology adoption, human resource development, institutional strengthening, and improved Centre–state coordination. The new criminal laws emphasize technology through initiatives such as e-Summons and e-Sakshya. He added that mandatory forensic visits have been introduced for all criminal cases carrying punishment of seven years or more.
The Home Minister said the chain of custody has been strengthened from a judicial standpoint, with mandatory videography of seizures to prevent false allegations against police. Digital and electronic evidence has now been clearly defined and legally recognized. Crimes such as cybercrime, organized crime, terrorism and digital fraud have also been explicitly defined, reducing legal ambiguities. Provisions such as trial in absentia, e-FIR and Zero FIR have been introduced, with special focus on crimes against women and children.
He said every police station in the country has been brought online through the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS), making all FIRs accessible on a central server. A Modus Operandi Bureau will be established to map crime patterns. Data of around 36 crore legacy records, seven lakh FIRs, 22,000 courts under e-Courts, over 2.2 crore prisoners under e-Prisons, nearly two crore prosecution cases under e-Prosecution, and more than 30 lakh forensic records under e-Forensics are now digitally available. The National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) hosts over 1.21 crore fingerprints, aiding investigations. Databases on narco offenders, human trafficking offenders and UAPA-related terrorism cases have also been created.
Amit Shah said there are currently seven CFSLs in the country, with eight new laboratories under establishment. Every state and Union Territory will have either an NFSU campus or a CFSL. A grant of around Rs. 1,000 crore has been provided to strengthen state forensic laboratories, forensic vans and regional units. Guidelines for standardisation of forensic departments have been issued, and 143 laboratories, including CFSLs, have been integrated with the e-Forensics IT platform.
He said that by 2029, around 35,000 students will be studying forensics at NFSU, with the university expected to reach saturation levels within three to four years. NFSU currently has 100 per cent placement, 14 campuses, and over 100 training programmes. More than 16,000 officers have been trained in the past four years, with plans to nearly triple this number in the next four years.
The Home Minister said NFSU has registered 46 patents so far, including 30 in 2024 alone. The university has signed 103 MoUs with institutions across 96 countries and agreements with 117 central and state government organisations. He said work is underway to create an integrated forensic structure, promote innovation, develop forensic intelligence, and adopt AI-based analysis and continuous software upgrades.
He said initial results following the implementation of the three new criminal laws indicate progress towards faster and more effective justice delivery.