Staff crunch cripples Rohini FSL

Ananya Panda

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Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 4

Severe staff and resources crunch at Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Rohini, has not only resulted in a shocking backlog of cases - 7,808 (many related to rape and murder of women and girls) but also dashed the hopes of victims awaiting justice as nearly 1,479 samples have been found inefficacious".

Expressing concern, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chairperson Swati Maliwal today sought a report from Delhi Government's Principal Secretary (Home) SN Sahai, asking him to explain the "lapses" on the part of the officials and the department pointing out the staggering pendency.

"Apart from the documentary evidence, all other samples have a validity of 1 year within which an accurate report can be prepared....The fact that as many as 1,499 samples have been lying in the FSL since 2011 and may no longer produce accurate results is a huge blow to the victims of grievous crimes of gang-rapes and rapes of children and women. Such lapses are unacceptable as they result in denial of justice to the victims," said the DCW chief seeking a detailed report by November 12.

This at a time when five proposed FSLs announced by the Delhi Government have been hanging fire due to administrative hurdles at various agencies of the national Capital, including Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and Public Works Department (PWD), among others.