The log of pending cases is increasing in the forensic laboratory at Nampally, Hyderabad. This affects the investigation of cases. Hundreds of cases remain unsolved in cyber forensics, a key area of forensics. Now cybercrimes are increasing exponentially in the state. However, the number of staff in the cyber forensics department has not been increased. There is only one full-time officer here while another 20 are temporary staff.
Because of that, the analysis of the cases does not go in proper direction. More than 50 cases related to cybercrimes are pending in Hyderabad Commissionerate alone. If the entire state is taken, the number is more than 400 and there are unsolved cases of three years back too.
The changes taking place in the name of channelization have become a topic of discussion. The work here is entirely dependent on individual skill. For example, staff working in toxicology (the department that analyzes poisons) will have expertise in that area only. But now they are shifting from there to another department in the name of their educational qualifications. So the employee has to correct the mistakes in that aspect again.
There is a strong protest from the staff over this. It is felt that only by appointing full-time directors, this laboratory can regain its glory. Apart from that, the employees themselves want to identify the departments where there are more pending cases and appoint additional staff in them. The Andhra Pradesh Forensic Science Laboratory is said to be the golden age when Gandhi was the Director of KPC. At that time, it was an ideal for the country by setting up new departments from time to time and providing world-class knowledge. Even after the formation of Telangana, they have maintained these standards for a long time. After Sharada Avadhani retired as director five years ago, no one has been appointed to replace her. Police officers are being appointed as incharges. While there is a rumor that the police are producing false evidence, its questionable that how can the forensic laboratory work under the police.
