Pendency in DNA testing will be zero in 18 months: govt to HC

Delhi government today told the High Court here that it proposes to reduce to zero the pendency in testing of DNA and biological samples in forensic labs here within 18 months by inducting more experts and equipment, installing a new software and increasing working hours of technical teams.
The submission was made by Delhi government before a bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva which had on the last date asked for "concrete proposals" on reducing the pendency in testing of samples at forensic science labs (FSLs) as well as regarding setting up more such labs in the city.

Delhi government counsel Rahul Mehra today submitted to the court a status report which stated that Home Minister Satyendar Jain had visited the Rohini FSL on May 21 to assess the situation there.
The report stated that of the nearly 8,500 pending cases, more than 5,000 pertain to testing of DNA and biological samples and one of the steps taken to reduce the backlog was to complete contractual appointment to 135 posts of technical staff for which the joining orders were issued today.
It also said that tenders for DNA testing equipment has been floated and it would be procured by October this year.

A request for proposal for case management software has also been issued, the report stated and added that it would be installed by December 2016.

Reading from the report, Mehra said that the 19 teams working at the labs have been asked to double their output and seven more teams have been pressed into operation in order to push up the disposal rate of DNA/biological testing to 450 cases per month from the current 220. He said that 250 such cases are received every month.
Apart from that, 100 cases of DNA/biological testing are proposed to be outsourced to a private lab in Bangalore, Mehra said and added that a detailed report would be given on the next date of hearing on June 1.

Delhi Police was also in favour of setting up regional
FSLs, as was proposed by Delhi government earlier, instead of the government's latest proposal to build a 12-storey building alongside its Rohini FSL to house additional labs.
The court, however, said it was satisfied with the actions proposed by the government and added it was to be seen whether the proposals would be acted upon and whether expected results would be achieved.
Delhi government, thereafter, said it would submit a detailed report within six weeks containing the turnaround time in testing of samples, where they would be stored, number of samples tested at each lab and the capacity of each lab.

The central government, meanwhile, said that it would file its "concrete proposals" regarding increasing the number of policemen in the city on the next date of hearing.
The court had on May 19 termed as insufficient the steps taken by the Centre to improve the overall security situation in the national capital and rapped it for not providing "concrete proposals" to deal with the issue.
The bench had also pulled up Delhi government saying "nobody was serious" despite the fact that thousands of samples were pending in forensic science laboratories due to which probe in criminal cases were hampered.
The court had earlier directed the Centre to increase manpower in police while Delhi government was asked to set up more forensic labs.

The court was hearing a PIL initiated by it after the December 16, 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape case, in which it has been giving directions from time to time with regard to improving crime investigation and protection of women.