Why are Maharashtra’s forensic labs struggling to keep pace with casework? | Explained

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Of the 54,897 cases carried forward as of September 1, 29,666 were with the Cyber division and 9,766 with TASI. Together, the two divisions accounted for 39,432 cases, or nearly 72% of the State’s forensic pendency. (Representational image) | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Nearly 55,000 cases were pending across Maharashtra’s forensic laboratories at the beginning of September, with Cyber Forensics and Tape Authentication and Speaker Identification (TASI) together accounting for nearly three-fourths of the backlog, according to data from the Directorate of Forensic Science Laboratories (DFSL).

Of the 54,897 cases carried forward as of September 1, 29,666 were with the Cyber division and 9,766 with TASI. Together, the two divisions accounted for 39,432 cases, or nearly 72% of the State’s forensic pendency.

The latest monthly data also shows that while the overall forensic backlog declined during August, pendency continued to increase in the two divisions accounting for its largest share.

The Cyber division began August with 29,535 pending cases and received another 685 during the month. It reported 254 cases, leaving 29,666 to be carried forward on September 1. TASI began the month with 9,616 pending cases and received another 265, while 115 were reported, leaving 9,766 cases pending.

Across all divisions, however, Maharashtra’s forensic backlog fell by 1,922 cases during August. The laboratories began the month with 56,819 pending cases and received 24,526 cases. During the month, 26,448 cases were reported, leaving 54,897 cases to be carried forward.

Mumbai had the highest laboratory-wise pendency in the State, with 14,169 cases carried forward at the beginning of September. Pune followed with 10,923, Nagpur with 7,467 and Nashik with 6,382.

DFSL Director Vijay Thakare attributed the pressure on the forensic system not only to manpower constraints but also to the volume of cases reaching laboratories relative to their existing processing capacity.

According to Thakare, Maharashtra’s forensic laboratories received around 2.5 lakh cases last year, while their current annual processing capacity is around two lakh to 2.25 lakh cases.

“Our current capacity is around two lakh to 2.25 lakh cases. Once this new staffing framework is implemented, our capacity will increase to four lakh,” Mr. Thakare told The Hindu.

The backlog is also concentrated in particular forensic disciplines rather than being uniform across the laboratory system. Thakare said the oldest pending cases in the divisions facing the larger backlog date to around 2021-22.

Other divisions are operating with considerably shorter turnaround periods, he said. Biology reports — including examination of blood, clothing and other crime-scene evidence — are currently issued within 30 days of receipt by the laboratory, while Toxicology reports involving samples such as viscera are similarly being issued within 30 days.

“So Toxicology and Biology are fast, but if it’s a Cyber case, there are delays,” Mr. Thakare said.

Apart from increasing manpower, DFSL has also turned to automation to address the Cyber backlog. The department is running a Semi-Automated Pendency Removal Project for Cyber Forensics to speed up examination of mobile devices and hard disks awaiting analysis.

According to DFSL, the system uses a centralised platform for registering cases and verifying chain-of-custody details before digital devices are acquired, cloned or imaged using standardised processes. Automated processing and analysis can then continue round-the-clock, following which forensic experts validate the findings and prepare reports for use in court.

The department says automating repetitive stages of digital examination is intended to increase throughput and reduce turnaround time while retaining expert review of the findings.

The Cyber Pendency project is one of three initiatives identified by DFSL to expand its digital and technological capacity, alongside computerisation and digitisation of the state’s forensic laboratory network and the establishment of a Centre of Excellence in Digital Forensics.

DFSL’s computerisation project connects 13 forensic laboratory locations and includes eight integrated software systems for functions including case tracking and document management. The department also says more than 20 lakh legacy case files have been scanned and indexed.

The state government has simultaneously sanctioned 220 contractual posts specifically to address the pendency in the Cyber and TASI divisions. These include 130 Scientific Officers and 90 Scientific Assistants.

Thakare said the recruitment process has begun and is expected to be completed by October 15.

“All eligible candidates need to be called, their documents need to be verified, and after document verification, the process will begin,” he said.

Those recruited will undergo around a month of training before beginning regular case reporting from December, he said.

The contractual appointments come amid a wider expansion of Maharashtra’s forensic workforce. DFSL currently has a sanctioned strength of 1,486 officers and employees, of whom 1,110 are in position and 376 posts are vacant, according to the department’s latest dashboard.

Mr. Thakare said approximately 350 vacancies in the existing establishment are expected to be filled through the state government’s recruitment exercise.

The State Cabinet has also approved a revised staffing structure adding 1,275 posts to the existing sanctioned strength, Thakare said, which would take DFSL’s total sanctioned strength to 2,761.

“After 2004, the government could not increase the strength. Based on the receipt of cases and all these things, we submitted the report and made the Aakrutibandh [staffing structure],” Mr. Thakare said.

Recruitment to the newly sanctioned posts will take longer, with requisitions to be sent to the Maharashtra Public Service Commission. Mr. Thakare said the 1,275 posts are expected to be filled over the next two years.

The department is also expanding its physical infrastructure. Mr. Thakare said a new building is expected to be inaugurated in the next two to three months, while a new laboratory in Amravati is operational and another facility has been built in Kolhapur. The Nanded facility is expected to be ready by January-February, while a new Nagpur building is targeted for completion by June 2027.

The growing pendency of forensic examinations has repeatedly drawn scrutiny from the Bombay High Court.

In January 2025, the High Court was informed that 34,158 cases were pending before the Mumbai FSL and another 11,390 before the Thane laboratory. The court termed the figures a “shocking state of affairs” and raised concerns over the impact of delayed forensic reports on criminal trials.

The issue surfaced again in April this year when the High Court, while hearing the bail plea of an accused who had spent over two years in custody in a murder case, was informed that forensic analysis of CCTV footage was still pending. The prosecution told the court that the investigating officer had followed up with the laboratory and was informed that material dating to 2020 was being examined.

The High Court subsequently sought details from the State on forensic infrastructure, workload and the time taken for examination of material.

Mr. Thakare, however, said a pending Cyber forensic report does not necessarily prevent a criminal trial from proceeding, as digital evidence may not be essential for proving every case.

“Cyber cases don’t stop a trial from proceeding,” he said, adding that other forensic and evidentiary material can be sufficient in individual cases.

A delayed Cyber report has also surfaced in the 2023 case involving alleged bookie Anil Jaisinghani and his daughter Aniksha. A Mumbai special court recently recorded that the FSL report remained awaited even as the case had reached the stage of consideration of charges. Aniksha is accused of attempting to bribe and subsequently extort ₹10 crore from Amruta Fadnavis, wife of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

With Cyber and TASI accounting for nearly 40,000 of Maharashtra’s 54,897 carried-forward forensic cases, the state’s response to the backlog now rests on multiple measures — additional contractual manpower, a larger expansion of sanctioned posts, new laboratory infrastructure and the use of semi-automated processing to increase the speed at which digital evidence can be examined.

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