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HC gives one year for upgrade of labs in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh
The Punjab and Haryana high court set the one year deadline to upgrade forensic laboratory infrastructure
: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday gave one year to Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh to upgrade forensic laboratory infrastructure after taking into account the corresponding increase in the crime rate.
The high court bench of justice Sureshwar Thakur and NS Shekhawat ordered that the two states and the UT after collecting data about backlog, staff shortage, along with a futuristic vision on increase in crime rate, would complete all formalities within three months and laboratories thus proposed, would be made functional within one year.
“The above increases in laboratory testing facilities in the above territorial jurisdictions, is but a dire need to enable the Courts of Law to dispense justice in an expeditious manner,” the bench observed.
The bench also ordered ₹ 10 lakhs compensation to a victim’s family member, in whose case high court had to pass an order of acquittal as police failed to procure forensic report on cause of death.
The court observed that if viscera of the deceased had been deposited at the lab, emergence of scientific evidence could have led to conviction.
