Battling backlog, Rohini forensic lab to be revamped

The AAP government has cleared a proposal to revamp the Forensic Science Laboratory in Rohini, which is the only government lab in the Capital, considering the 8,900 samples pending for examination here.

Also, the government is planning to outsource work to other laboratories, while a pending project to open more forensic labs in the city has been put on hold.

Fee for processing samples

In a Cabinet meeting on Friday, the government proposed that fee be charged from the Delhi Police and others for processing samples, besides recovering fee for all cases registered on and after January 1, 2016. Fee will be charged from July 1.

As per the report of the Dialogue and Development Commission, which had given its recommendations to the Delhi government, the pendency of cases has risen steadily due to the continuous increase in registration of cases, along with declining productivity of the FSL — from 3,716 samples pending in 2006 to 8,992 in 2015.

The situation is especially alarming with regard to the DNA cases. In 2006, there were just 15 cases pending, which has risen to 5,200 samples in the backlog. “The delay has led to deterioration of samples, resulting in non-conclusive reports as many of these samples have a shelf life of a year. These samples are very crucial evidence,” said a government official.

In order to do away with the pending 5,200 DNA samples, the government has also proposed that they be transferred to Truth Labs, the lab used by the Delhi government to ascertain the authenticity of the clips received from JNU.

Shortage of staff

One of the main reasons behind the pendency of cases is shortage of staff. According to officials, the lab needs around 200 more pathologists and other experts. “Apart from outsourcing 30 percent of the samples, more staff will be hired on contract basis,” said the official.

For now, the Dialogue and Development Commission has recommended that the project to open forensic labs at Rajghat and Bindapur be put on hold.

Officials say that they will ascertain the results of outsourcing the work and restructuring the lab before coming up with more laboratories in the city. However, the issue of outsourcing is not new. The AAP government in 2013, during its 49 days of rule, had proposed outsourcing the work in December. After coming back to power in 2015, the Delhi government had floated tenders in January and then in March.