NEW DELHI, JUL 14 (PTI): In a major boost to statutory digital forensic infrastructure, the Centre has announced five new Examiners of Electronic Evidence, including the elite Special Instruments Wing (SIW) of the Border Security Force (BSF), to strengthen the country’s capacity to examine the growing volume of electronic evidence from digital crimes, officials said on Tuesday.
Sources said the SIW will handle a specialised arm of electronic evidence — Drone Forensics. The designation of SIW for drone forensic underscores the increasing importance of drone-related evidence as security agencies confront the unmanned aerial systems for cross-border narcotics and arms smuggling, surveillance and other unlawful operations, the sources said.
The Directorate of Forensic Science Laboratories (DFSL), Mumbai; the National Forensic Science University, Goa; and the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Kolkata, under the Directorate of Forensic Science Services of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs will handle and analyse evidence requiring Computer (Media) Forensics and Mobile Device Forensics. The Jaipur-based Cyber Forensic Division, State Forensic Science Laboratory, will handle Computer (Media) Forensics, excluding Floppy Disk and Mobile Devices Forensics, they said.
The Centre has designated these laboratories as Examiners of Electronic Evidence under Section 79A of the Information Technology Act, they said. The expansion is part of the government’s broader effort to create a wider network of recognised digital forensic facilities as investigators increasingly depend on electronic records recovered from mobile phones, computers, storage devices, CCTV systems, cloud platforms and other digital sources, they said.
The home ministry is focusing on expanding forensic infrastructure to ensure speedy justice through new criminal laws, which aim to deliver a decision from the FIR to the Supreme Court within a three-year period.
Home Minister Amit Shah has also underlined the importance of scientific evidence in achieving speedy justice.
The National Forensic Infrastructure Enhancement Scheme was approved by the cabinet on June 19, 2024, with a financial outlay of Rs 2,254.43 crore for the period from 2024-25 to 2028-29 to enhance the forensic testing infrastructure in the country.
It will also address the shortage of forensic professionals in the country and reduce case pendency in forensic science laboratories, they said.
