The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) have indicted the UP government for shortage of modern equipment and technical staff in Forensic Science laboratories (FSls) across the state. The present state of affairs in FSl has resulted in inordinate delay in crime investigation and submission of forensic reports in the courts.
A report on Modernization of Forensic Science laboratories recently tabled in UP Assembly stated that as per norms, examination of samples should be completed within a week and related reports be submitted in the court in 14 days. For the lack of staff and equipment, the number of pending cases at lucknow, Agra and Varanasi, FSls have spiralled from 6,617 in January 2011 to 15,052 in March 2016.
FSl, lucknow has the highest number of pending samples from 1,342 in January 2011 to 7,671 in December 2015 with maximum of 4,113 of DNA samples.
However, responding to objections by the audit team, the state government stated that more Forensic labs have been set up and new sections have been added to existing laboratratories in recent years. The delay in the disposal of pending samples was attributed to delay in recruitment.
The report said that the Director FSl had also accepted the facts and stated that the reason for the huge pendency were shortage of required technical and other staff in FSls, lack of equipment/ kit and chemicals in serology and DNA sections in FSl lucknow.
The CAG report said that the record of four FSls in lucknow, Agra, Varanasi and Ghaziabad revealed that overall shortage of technical staff increased from 47 per cent in 2012-13 to 67 per cent in 2015-16. Similar was the situation in district field units established in all 75 districts, where the technical staff was only 31 per cent of the total sanctioned posts.
The CAG said that in districts like Deoria, Kushinagar and Sonebhadra, there were no technical staff while in Sitapur, Mathura and Pratapgarh, only junior lab assistants were managing the labortaries.
While giving details about the shortage of equipment, the report said that in 2011-12 and 2012-13 not a single equipment was purchased, while between 2012-14 to 2015-16, against the sanction of Rs 53.55 crore for equipment, only Rs 24.10 crore were utilised while rest of the fund was surrendered.