New Delhi, Jan 3: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah chaired a meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs in Sri Vijaya Puram, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, with a focus on the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) and the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU). Addressing the committee, Amit Shah said the government aims to ensure that, after the full implementation of the new criminal laws, the entire judicial process, from registration of an FIR to the Supreme Court, can be completed within three years by 2029.
He said reforms initiated since 2022, particularly in forensics and technology, were already yielding positive results, including faster investigations and higher conviction rates.
The Home Minister said the Centre and states would invest around Rs 30,000 crore over the next five years to expand forensic infrastructure, including a nationwide network of laboratories. He highlighted measures such as direct submission of forensic reports to courts, mandatory forensic visits in serious crimes, strengthened chain of custody, and greater reliance on digital and electronic evidence. Amit Shah said significant progress had been made in digitisation through platforms such as CCTNS, e-Courts, e-Prisons, e-Prosecution and e-Forensics, improving coordination across police, courts, prisons, forensics and prosecution. He added that forensic education and capacity-building were being strengthened through NFSU, which now has multiple campuses, full placement for graduates, and growing international collaboration. The meeting was attended by Union Ministers of State for Home Affairs, members of the committee, senior officials of the ministry, and heads of key forensic and policing institutions.