Overview
- The Expenditure Finance Committee approved funding of ₹151.81 crore for a Regional Forensic Science Laboratory at Sheikh Sarai, with the decision announced on Saturday and the Public Works Department tasked to finish construction within two years.
- The government specified the site as a roughly 6,300 square metre plot with about 18,300 square metres of built-up area and directed the PWD to deliver an integrated facility designed for specialised forensic work.
- Officials said the Sheikh Sarai lab will primarily serve South, Southeast and Central Delhi and provide additional scientific support to the existing forensic laboratory in Rohini.
- Delhi leaders cited the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam as driving a sharp rise in mandatory forensic examinations, including requirements for offences punishable by seven years or more.
- The project is now at the approval and funding stage with planning and procurement to follow, and officials say faster forensic reporting from the new lab could shorten investigation times and help speed court disposal of criminal cases.