KOCHI: Expressing displeasure over the inordinate delay in getting examination reports from forensic science labs, the Kerala High Court on Tuesday said that it is high time that the state government woke up and set up enough such laboratories. It also wanted the government to spruce up the infrastructure and employed technical personnel to ensure that reports are provided to the court within three weeks from the date of furnishing of the sample.
The court issued the order while granting bail to Aneeshkutty of Kollam, who is has been jail since December 11, 2019, for allegedly murdering a woman. The petitioner’s counsel argues that the trial in the case has been delayed due to the delay in getting the FSL report.
“It is common knowledge that thousands of samples are lying in labs and it would take years to analyse the same. The pendency in the labs is mind boggling. The less said the better. Obviously, a state like Kerala where the crime rate is high requires enough labs with highly skilled scientific officers and state-of-the-art equipment. The report from the FSL and the chemical examiners lab form the backbone of the prosecution cases. Testing of samples must be swift, efficient and accurate and the report has to reach the courts as expeditiously as possible,” observed the court.
The court held that the government should ensure that a sample forwarded to the lab is analysed and a report forwarded to the court within a maximum limit of three weeks at the most. If reports are delayed as has happened in this case, the only conclusion that can be arrived at is that the system has collapsed and needs resuscitation.
Though the HC had directed the prosecution to expedite the trial in the murder case, even as of date, the FSL report has not been forwarded to the trial court, the order observed. The court also said, “Forensic science is an indispensable branch of jurisprudence and is considered one of the most deadly weapons in the armoury of the investigator. As we have not invested our time and effort in establishing cutting-edge labs and in employing skilled scientific officers to aid in all phases of criminal investigation process, the acquittal rate is alarmingly high.”