Madhya Pradesh High Court paves way for establishment of National Forensic Sciences University in State

The Gwalior Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court has paved the way for the establishment of a National Forensic Sciences University in the State by ratifying the recommendation of a sub-committee in this regard (Bharat Jatav v. State of Madhya Pradesh). .An earlier order of the Court had called for a formation of a committee led by the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) and including the Principal-Secretary of Law, and the Director-General of Police as members to gather inputs towards setting up a National Forensic Sciences University in the State. The Director, Forensic Sciences Laboratory, Sagar, the Additional Director-General Cyber Crime, Additional Advocate-General, Gwalior Shri Ankur Mody, the Deputy Secretaries (Law and Home) and a professor were part of the sub-committee to visit the forensic sciences institute in Gujarat's Gandhinagar and give a detailed report. After the visit, the committee submitted its report laying out the contours and concept of the proposed institute in the State. The Court also noted the passage of the National Forensic Sciences University Act, 2020 in Parliament which shall lead to a campus of the same in the State as well. In approving the sub-committee's recommendation, Justice Anand Pathak hoped that apart from the new career opportunities it could generate, the university would conduct training programmes and workshops for the police prosecutors, advocates and judges to improve the administration of justice. The Court hoped that the labs at the proposed institute would speed up production of DNA and other such reports, the delays in which have been hampering the pace of criminal trial in lower courts. The Court noted that further thought should eventually lead towards the establishment of more eminent institutes; like a National Law University, Virological Institute, Institute of Individual and Behavioral Sciences (like NIMHANS Bengaluru). The Court was prompted to form the committee on September 14 this year after it took more than a year for the submission of a DNA report in a bail case. Along with the ratification of the forensics university, it granted bail to the accused in the matter. Justice Pathak had, in an earlier hearing in the matter, remarked that with new technologies and threats on the anvil policy makers or stakeholders cannot place "rule of law" or "adjudication process" at the mercy of archaic method of investigation and prosecution. "Police investigation and prosecution in Courts cannot lie at the altar of statement of witnesses alone but it should be based upon scientific way of investigation," the Court said. .[Read Order]