Delhi forensic lab accused of filing false reports, framing innocents
FSL staffers have been accused of preparing false reports in at least six cases, mostly concerning rape
The rape case against his son seemed unassailable. The police had filed a case against the boy, and the DNA test report from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) at Rohini only served to buttress their case.
But Prem Singh (name changed to prevent identification), hailing from Shahbad Dairy in North Delhi, just couldn’t believe that his son was capable of such an act. He requested a re-examination of the DNA sample by another laboratory, and the results – much to his relief – served to prove a claim he had been crying himself hoarse over. The boy was innocent.
Singh has now filed a complaint against the laboratory, accusing them of framing his son.
This is not the first time that the Delhi FSL’s staffers – accused of being poorly trained and lacking in qualifications – have been pulled up for botching up investigations. Recently, a Gurgaon-based man went to court against a lab report that pointed to his involvement in a rape, being investigated by the Tilak Nagar police. The report was overturned after a re-test by another lab came up with a different finding.
Sources say there are at least six cases, mostly concerning rape, where FSL staffers have been accused of preparing false reports. Delhi’s Aam Aadmi Party government has now ordered an inquiry into the case.
“This is a serious matter; innocent people are being framed due to such false reports. We are checking whether this is being done deliberately… if staffers are preparing false reports in exchange for money. Many of these reports – negative or positive – were overturned during cross-verification,” a Delhi official said.
He said that relatives of the arrested persons had complained to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, following which a preliminary inquiry committee was set up to investigate the matter. “It has been alleged that over five experts at the laboratory are not qualified to hold their positions. According to the rules, they must possess a master’s degree in the subject concerned with relevant experience of three to five years in the field. However, an internal inquiry has shown that many of them had submitted false documents to get the job. The staffers have been asked to respond to the allegations,” the official added.
However, sources say FSL staffers have also filed a complaint against a document division official who has allegedly been pressurising them to alter a report against him in a cheating case.
