Shah inaugurates new CFSL building in Kolkata, stresses on modernisation of forensic infrastructure

PTI, Kolkata, June 1 – Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday lauded the role of forensic science in cracking cases and said that the Centre has plans to spend Rs 2,800 crore for the modernisation of forensic infrastructure in the country. Shah said the Centre would spend Rs 1,300 crore to set up nine more campuses of NSFU and another Rs 860 crore to establish seven more CFSLs in Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Kerala and Bihar.

The Home Minister, who inaugurated a new building of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in Rajarhat on the outskirts of Kolkata, said that the modernisation of the forensic infrastructure would help the country to establish a foolproof, evidence-based criminal justice system.

"We are planning to bring about a Rs 2,080 crore project for more modernisation of forensic science facilities, and another Rs 200 crore to set up a national forensic data centre where we will be able to store a huge pool of data, and that could be analysed through AI (artificial intelligence)... This will make the process of entering into a foolproof, evidence-based criminal justice system much smoother," he said.

Shah, who was speaking at the inauguration programme of the CFSL, said it will help in taking a holistic approach towards the investigation of complex cases in eastern and northeastern states. He said the inauguration marks a significant milestone in the Centre's long-standing efforts to build a secure, transparent and evidence-driven criminal justice system.

The Home Minister also noted the impact of recent criminal law reforms and said that after the introduction of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), "In 60 per cent of cases, we have witnessed chargesheets being filed within 60 days."

"I would like to speak about BNS, BNSS and BSA. These are brought to protect the constitutional rights of the common people of the country, putting an end to the 160-year-old British law. This is revolutionary and I am sure that innocent people will not be framed and the victim will get quick justice," he said.

Shah further stated that in special cases trial was starting within 90 days. "We have also ensured trial in absentia for those who escaped abroad and were operating crime from there. We will conduct their trial even in their absence and punish them. We will then bring them back to the country using our international understanding," Shah said.

He said that the Home Ministry will be working on the training and its application in investigations. "From January 2026, we will start taking forensic science to every police station, public prosecutor, and court to make them aware of the importance of forensic science," he said.

He said that the Centre is building a CFSL network in the country through the cluster approach so that complicated cases are solved and the entire criminal justice system is changed. "Those who are victims, through the phone all kinds of information and are assured that they do not need to go to the police stations we have arranged for that," he said.

"I am proud to say that 17,184 police stations are connected to CCTNS, are online and their data is being generated collectively. The Home Ministry monitoring them online. This shows how big a change we have brought in such a short time," he said.

The Home Minister said that every state has been offered to have one forensic mobile van. He said the central government is planning to set up seven more CFSL laboratories in Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Kerala and Bihar.