Central Government set for criminal justice overhaul: Union Home Minister Amit Shah

Foundation of forensic science university laid; campus inaugurated

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the Central Government is going for a major overhaul in the criminal justice system, with a vital and mandatory role for forensic science to play.

Laying the foundation stone of the National Forensic Science University at Changsari and inaugurating the campus of this university on the Gauhati Medical College premises atop Narakasur Hill virtually today, Shah said, “In most of the cases, criminals go unpunished due to a lack of forensic evidence. This denies people the right to get criminal justice.”

Shah said, “The Central Government is going to reform the British-era Indian Penal Code, Criminal Panel Code, and Evidence Act to bring them in sync with modern times and Indian conditions.”

On the forensic science university campus, he said, “This university will benefit all youths of the Northeast, let alone those of Assam. The students from this region will not have to go outside the region to study forensic science. The university will be a state-of-the-art one, producing over 3,000 graduates and postgraduates in forensic science each year. Even students from neighbouring countries like Bhutan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, etc. can derive benefits from this university that is set to maintain a world standard. Pass-outs of forensic science have high demand in the job market now.”

He said, “The purpose behind propagating forensic science is to raise the conviction rate. All cases with provisions for sentences of six years or more need the visit of forensic experts and their reports. Gone are the days of third-degree treatment for the accused to elicit information. We need to collect information in a scientific way. Forensics is a vast domain that has a whole lot of ways to collect evidence. We want to raise the conviction rate to 85 percent. To make that happen, forensic science is a must.”

Lauding Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for making land available for the university and making all arrangements for the campus within a short time, Shah said, “It is a virtue that the Assam Police have gone for massive reforms, leading to a low crime rate in the state. I urge the Chief Minister to extend the facility of its mobile forensic labs to the district level to help collect evidence from the spots of crimes.”

The Union Home Minister launched the Assam Police Seva-Setu portal at the function. The portal will make 26 services, including lodging FIRs, permission for public meetings, certificate verification, lodging complaints, registration of senior citizens, etc., available online.

Speaking on the occasion earlier, the Chief Minister said, “We have raised the conviction rate in Assam up to 15 percent from 5 percent earlier. The problem lies with evidence, as witnesses often go hostile. The lack of scientific evidence prevents us from raising the conviction rate in the state. Currently, 42 Assam police officers are undergoing training at the forensic science university in Ahmedabad. The crime rate in the state was 344 per 100,000 people in 2021. Now it is 215 per lakh.”

Dr. JM Vyas, the founder vice chancellor of the National Forensic Science University, said, “We cannot solely rely on witnesses. We need scientific evidence. The criminals are very advanced now, and so should the police be.”

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