A full team of the Manipur Human Rights Commission (MHRC) led by chairperson Justice UB Saha on Wednesday conducted a surprise visit to the Directorate of Forensic Sciences in Pangei, Imphal East.
The inspection was taken up considering the critical issue plaguing the justice system in the state, due delay in investigation and pending forensic reports, as per MHRC.
During his visit, Justice Saha expressed deep concern over the backlog of cases, some of which have been pending for 10 to 15 years.
He, however, stated that some of the backlog cases have been able to proceed and some have been completed with the intervention of the MHRC.
According to Saha, these delays are primarily due to the prolonged wait for forensic laboratory results, which are essential for investigations related to document verification, toxicology, biological analysis, and other scientific examinations.
“Justice delayed is justice denied,” remarked Saha, emphasising that the failure to conclude investigations in a timely manner constitutes a violation of fundamental human rights.
“When a person is denied justice due to a delay in investigation, it is not just a failure of the police or the forensic department, but a violation of their human rights,” he said.
The chairperson also pointed out that, despite the best efforts of various authorities to expedite these cases, many investigations remain stalled due to the non-receipt of crucial forensic reports.
The police, in their defense, have claimed that they have not received the necessary reports from the forensic department, however, the forensic department asserts that they have sent the reports, he said, raising concerns about possible miscommunication or loss of reports during transit.
To address this critical issue, Saha called for the urgent computerisation of forensic records, ensuring that all documentation is digitised and accessible.
“The system is changing, and it’s high time we adopt modern methods of record-keeping to avoid such mishaps in the future,” he added.
The chairperson also emphasised the need for a comprehensive overhaul of the justice system in Manipur, urging all stakeholders, including the police, forensic laboratories, and the judiciary, to work in unison.
“The justice system exists to serve the people. The commission and other institutions must ensure that the system works for the people, not against them,” he asserted.
According to report available from the Directorate of Forensic Sciences, during 2023, a total number of 784 cases including backlog cases with 5568 exhibits have been disposed of.
The Ballistics Division received a total of 114 cases. Out of these, 197 cases were disposed of, involving 2,507 exhibits, resulting in a disposal rate of 172.80 per cent.
The Chemistry Division received 289 cases; they managed to dispose of 277 cases, which included 277 exhibits, achieving a disposal rate of 95.85 per cent.
The Biology/DNA Division handled 99 cases; they were able to dispose of 65 cases, covering 327 exhibits, with a disposal rate of 65.66 per cent.
The Documents Division received 26 cases; they successfully disposed of 17 cases, which involved 395 exhibits, leading to a disposal rate of 65.38 per cent.
Finally, the Toxicology Division received 40 cases; they disposed of 24 cases, comprising 87 exhibits, resulting in a disposal rate of 60.00 per cent.
One of the outstanding achievement in disposal of cases related to NDPS Act is that the Chemistry Division had disposed of 518 pending cases of NDPS, with a total number of 11,328 exhibits where it disposed off all pending NDPS and other drug related cases with 100 per cent increase in the average disposal rate.
The State Forensic Science Laboratory, located at Pangei, Imphal East was upgraded to a full-fledged Directorate since 8th April, 2022 directly under the control of Home Department.
At present, the Directorate has six functional divisions namely, Ballistics, Biology/DNA, Chemistry, Documents, Toxicology and Photography.
