Dharwad: Union Home Minister Amit Shah Saturday stressed the need to increase conviction rate in the country and to integrate the criminal justice system with forensic science-based investigation, in order to set right the law and order situation in India.
Highlighting that the country has been making strides in the field of forensic science, he said the country will have the largest number of forensic science experts in five years.
Speaking after laying the foundation for an off-campus facility of National Forensic Sciences University here, he said the crime world is changing at a fast pace whether it is related to fake currency, hawala transactions, infiltration at the border, narcotics, cybercrime, crime against women, criminals have gone far ahead than the police.
“Unless the police are two steps ahead of the criminals, prevention of crime is impossible. If police have to be two steps ahead, we have to increase the conviction ratio. Unless the basis of the investigation is not scientific, not on the basis of forensic science, we will not be able to get punishment for the culprits in the court,” he added.
There are three parts to law and order, he said, one is practicing law and order which is managed by police, crime investigation in which forensic science has a big role, and then strengthening the criminal justice system.
“Forensic science evidence will be given importance in our justice system, so we are amending the IPC, CrPC, and Indian Evidence Act to strengthen it for giving punishment to criminals based on scientific evidence,” he said, adding that it is no more the time for “third-degree methods”.
Now, with NFSU campuses slowly coming up at various places across the country, we will get 10,000 experts who will strengthen the criminal justice system for years to come, he added.
For forensic investigation to be made “compulsory” for offences attracting punishment of more than six years, across the country, we will need 8,000-10,000 forensic science experts every year for nine years.
Highlighting that the conviction rate in Canada is 62 percent, Israel’s 93 percent, England’s is 80 percent and America’s is 90 percent, while India’s is 50 percent, Shah said: “we cannot be lagging behind in this. If we have to set right the law and order situation in the country, we have to increase our conviction rate. We will have to integrate our criminal justice system with forensic science-based investigation.”
For certain heinous crimes, forensic science investigation has to be made mandatory, he said.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, several ministers from the state government, legislators, and top officials of Home and Police departments were present at the event.
PTI