HC asks Maharashtra to improve quality of forensic labs

The bench was hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by the NGO Azad Hind Seva Dal.

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed the Maharashtra government to take steps to improve the quality of forensic laboratories in the city.

The bench directed the Union government, the Maharashtra government, and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to file their affidavits in response to the petition within four weeks.(Hindustan Times)

The bench headed by Justice V M Kanade also observed that there existed a need to establish blood banks in each municipal ward in the city considering that the city “witnesses several accidents in a day.”

The bench was hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by the NGO Azad Hind Seva Dal.

While the petition raised the issue of food safety and the need to set up food quality testing labs in the city, the court extended the scope of the petition to include blood banks and forensic laboratories.

“Something also needs to be done to improve the quality of forensic lab in the city. 99 per cent of cases that rely heavily upon forensic evidence end up in acquittal because the results of the forensic labs are inconclusive,” the court said.

“Also, how many blood banks are presently there in the city? Are safety regulations followed? We need to have such banks in each and every ward and it is also important to ensure that safety regulations are adhered to so as to avoid contamination of the blood. This is a very crucial issue, particularly in a city like Mumbai where accidents are common. Most of the times we hear that blood is not available in hospitals,” it said.

The bench directed the Union government, the Maharashtra government, and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to file their affidavits in response to the petition within four weeks.