The Hindu Business Line : `New crime patterns call for innovative approach to forensics'

CHANGING patterns of crimes call for innovative methods to detect and forensic scientists are playing a vital role in expediting the justice process. This also calls for constant upgrade of forensic laboratory to handle newer and more challenging tasks aimed at tackling changing crime patterns, according to Mr Devender Gupta, Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

Mr Gupta, while addressing the two-day XVI All India Forensic Science Conference here on Wednesday, said in the changed environment, forensic scientists have assumed importance in the criminal justice system.

India has over 30 years of well-established forensic science laboratories in every State and at the Central level. In fact, Andhra Pradesh has one of the best forensic science laboratories in India covering a range of services including DNA Lab and computer forensic lab.

The Director of Andhra Pradesh Forensic Science Laboratory, Dr K.P.C. Gandhi, said that APFSL had become the country's first full fledged facility to achieve ISO 17025 certification for all its sections including DNA, computer forensics, lie detector, and forensic documents. While the nature of work has constantly gone up, the budgetary allocation has not kept pace with the current day requirements.

The State Home Minister, Mr Jana Reddy, speaking at the conference on Crime Scene Management and Future Strategies, said in the recent times, the job of the police has become much more complex because the modern day criminals are now adopting high-tech approach.

Therefore, the law enforcement agencies are faced with the challenge of gathering evidence that may not always be physical in nature.

Award for expert: Mr Krishna Sastry Pendyala, Assistant Government Examiner in the Directorate of Forensic Science, Hyderabad, has been awarded the Union Home Minister's award for 2003 for outstanding contribution to forensic sciences. The award carries Rs 50,000 in cash and a citation.

Mr Sastry is the youngest forensic scientist to achieve the honour. He has specialised in investigation of cyber related crimes like hacking, credit card frauds, ATM, email tracing, pass word cracking etc.

Forensic analysis of various storage media like hard disk, SimCard, digital watches etc and capability to retrieve data from deleted files, password protected and encrypted files are his forte.

Mr Sastry has been instrumental in setting up a cyber forensic laboratory at the Government Examiner of Questioned Documents, Hyderabad — the first in the country. He received the award at the Forensic Science Congress.

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