On 6th March 2026, Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the transit campus of the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. He also laid the foundation stone for the university’s permanent campus and performed the Bhoomi Pujan for a Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL). The Odisha government has allotted 40 acres for the NFSU campus, according to the Press Information Bureau (PIB).
The inauguration in Bhubaneswar was part of a larger plan to expand India’s forensic science infrastructure. The Union Cabinet approved the National Forensic Infrastructure Enhancement Scheme (NFIES) in June 2024, with an allocation of Rs 2,254.43 crore spread over five financial years. Nine NFSU campuses and seven new CFSLs are to be established under the scheme by 2028-29. Six of the proposed laboratories will share premises with university campuses, including the one in Odisha.
There has already been some progress. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha on 28th July 2026, Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar informed Parliament that five NFSU campuses had started functioning from temporary premises. These were at Nagpur, Raipur, Khordha, Chengalpattu and Jaipur. The permanent campuses and associated laboratories were still being developed. The government had released and utilised Rs 119.09 crore under the scheme at the time of the reply.
The Centre has earmarked Rs 1,309.13 crore for the nine university campuses and Rs 860.3 crore for seven CFSLs. The university campuses will expand opportunities for forensic education and training, while the laboratories will provide additional facilities for examining material recovered during criminal investigations.
The need for forensic facilities has assumed greater importance following the implementation of the three new criminal laws on 1st July 2024. One of the provisions introduced under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, requires a forensic expert to visit crime scenes in offences punishable with imprisonment of seven years or more. The expert must collect forensic evidence, and the process must be videographed. However, under Section 176(3), the requirement takes effect from the date notified by the respective state government within five years.
Forensic science laboratories have been operating in India for decades. The new criminal procedure, along with the expansion of scientific facilities, has brought greater attention to the availability of forensic experts and laboratories. The government’s programme covers both, with additional investments planned for upgrading existing laboratories, establishing specialised facilities and providing mobile forensic vans to assist investigators at crime scenes.
The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) came into force on 1st July 2024. They replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and Indian Evidence Act (IEA) respectively.
Under Section 176(3) of the BNSS, the officer in charge of a police station is required to arrange a visit by a forensic expert to collect evidence in cases involving offences punishable with imprisonment of seven years or more. Videography of the collection process is also required.
The provision is subject to notification by the respective state governments. The law gives states a period of five years to bring the requirement into operation. It also permits a state government to notify the use of forensic facilities in another state where the necessary facility is not available locally.
The nature of the examination depends on the evidence recovered. For instance, in a murder investigation, the police may collect bloodstained clothing, hair, fingerprints, weapons and electronic devices. Biological material may require DNA profiling, firearms may undergo ballistics examination, and electronic devices may be sent for digital-forensic analysis.
Before the material reaches a laboratory, it must be properly collected, documented and preserved. Forensic personnel attending the scene can assist investigating officers with these procedures.
Not all examinations are conducted in the same laboratory. A district forensic unit may have facilities for examining a crime scene and recovering fingerprints, while samples requiring specialised analysis may be forwarded to a regional, state or central laboratory.
The new requirement under the BNSS will therefore involve both crime-scene teams and the laboratories that examine the evidence recovered by them. States implementing the provision will need personnel, vehicles, collection equipment and access to the necessary scientific facilities.
The responsibility for forensic science services is shared between the Centre and state governments. Police and public order are State subjects under the Constitution. State governments are responsible for criminal investigation and the forensic facilities associated with it, while the Centre operates specialised laboratories and provides financial assistance for infrastructure development.
In a Rajya Sabha reply on 18th December 2024, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) stated that India had seven Central Forensic Science Laboratories under the Directorate of Forensic Science Services. There were also 32 State Forensic Science Laboratories and 97 Regional Forensic Science Laboratories.
The seven CFSLs are located at Chandigarh, Delhi, Assam, Kolkata, Bhopal, Pune and Hyderabad. These laboratories examine exhibits received from investigating agencies, covering disciplines such as biology, DNA, chemistry, toxicology, ballistics, fingerprints, questioned documents and electronic evidence.
The regional laboratory network is not distributed equally among the states. According to the December 2024 figures, Maharashtra had 12 regional forensic science laboratories, while Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh had 10 and 12, respectively. Gujarat and Karnataka had seven each. Rajasthan had six, followed by Andhra Pradesh and Assam with five each. Haryana and Madhya Pradesh had four each.
The network includes laboratories with different scientific divisions and examination capabilities. Evidence collected in one district may be examined locally or forwarded to a larger laboratory, depending on the equipment and expertise required.
These were the laboratory figures reported in December 2024. The seven CFSLs approved under NFIES are additional institutions and are not included in the existing central laboratory count.
The Union Cabinet approved NFIES on 19th June 2024. The scheme covers five financial years, beginning in 2024-25 and ending in 2028-29, with the establishment of new university campuses and laboratories as its principal components.
Of the Rs 2,254.43 crore approved, Rs 1,309.13 crore has been allocated to nine NFSU campuses and Rs 860.3 crore for seven new CFSLs. The government provided the financial details in its Lok Sabha reply dated 28th July 2026.
The university campuses have been approved for Nagpur in Maharashtra, Raipur in Chhattisgarh, Khordha in Odisha, Chengalpattu in Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.
Seven CFSLs are planned for Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala. The laboratories in the first six states are proposed alongside NFSU campuses. Kerala will have a CFSL without a corresponding university campus under this arrangement.
By July 2026, five campuses had begun operating from transit premises. Land had also been allotted for NFSU campus or CFSL projects at Nagpur, Raipur, Khordha, Chengalpattu and Varanasi.
The expenditure reported by the government was Rs 119.09 crore at that stage. This amount had been released and utilised under the scheme for the campuses and laboratories. It was not the entire approved allocation for the five-year programme.
The NFSU campuses and CFSLs have different requirements before becoming fully operational. Academic programmes can begin from transit premises while permanent buildings are under construction. A forensic laboratory must have the scientific equipment, technical personnel, storage arrangements and examination facilities needed for its work.
Apart from NFIES, the Centre has approved another CFSL at Samba in Jammu and Kashmir at a cost of Rs 99.9 crore. This laboratory is not included among the seven institutions being established under NFIES.
According to the MHA’s Rajya Sabha reply dated 1st April 2026, the seven existing CFSLs were functioning, while the additional laboratories were at various stages of establishment. Eight new central laboratories had therefore been approved, including Samba, in addition to the seven already operating.
The National Forensic Sciences University was established through an Act of Parliament in 2020 and declared an Institution of National Importance. Its initial campuses were at Gandhinagar in Gujarat and Delhi. The university provides courses in forensic science and specialised fields, including digital forensics, cyber security and forensic psychology.
The expansion of NFSU is larger than the nine campuses approved under NFIES. In a Rajya Sabha reply dated 29th July 2026, MHA informed Parliament that approval had been granted for 14 additional campuses beyond Gandhinagar and Delhi.
These campuses are located or proposed in Goa, Tripura, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, Maharashtra, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The university has also established training academies at Imphal in Manipur and Pune in Maharashtra.
The need for trained personnel varies from one forensic discipline to another. A scientist examining biological evidence for DNA profiling requires different training from a ballistics examiner or an expert dealing with mobile phones and computers.
DNA examination involves the preparation and analysis of biological samples and the interpretation of genetic profiles. Ballistics examination concerns firearms, ammunition and related physical evidence. Digital-forensic examination involves recovering and analysing information from electronic devices and storage systems.
A qualification in forensic science does not automatically mean that a graduate can independently examine every kind of evidence. Scientists recruited into laboratories may require practical training, supervised casework and assessment of their competence in the particular disciplines in which they work.
Recruitment is another part of the government’s effort to strengthen forensic services. MHA has informed Parliament about measures including changes to recruitment rules, the engagement of experts on contract and steps intended to streamline the recruitment process.
The government’s programme for expanding NFSU will increase the number of institutions providing forensic education. The appointment of graduates to scientific posts will continue to depend on the recruitment requirements of the laboratories concerned.
Forensic evidence is handled by several categories of personnel before and after it reaches a laboratory. Police officers collect exhibits during investigations, medical professionals recover biological material during examinations, and prosecutors present scientific findings before courts.
The Centre has been conducting training programmes for these groups. In its reply dated 29th July 2026, MHA stated that the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) and the institution now functioning as NFSU’s Delhi campus had trained 37,978 investigating officers, prosecutors and medical officers.
The programmes covered the collection, storage and handling of DNA evidence, along with the use of Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kits.
A separate parliamentary reply in July 2026 stated that BPR&D had trained 83,740 officers and other stakeholders since 2024 through courses, webinars and seminars concerning the implementation of the new criminal laws. The information was provided in the MHA’s Lok Sabha reply on 22nd July 2026.
For medical officers, such training is particularly relevant when biological samples are collected during examinations in sexual assault cases. The material may subsequently be sent for DNA analysis, making its collection, preservation and documentation important.
Investigating officers also have to maintain records of recovered exhibits. The place of recovery, the person collecting the material and its subsequent transfer may all become relevant when the evidence is examined during criminal proceedings.
The government has approved Rs 496.66 crore under the Scheme for Modernization of Forensic Capacities to provide mobile forensic vans to districts and State Forensic Science Laboratories.
According to the MHA reply dated 5th August 2026, 619 mobile forensic vans had been allocated to states and Union territories, in addition to vans already in operation.
These vehicles are intended to assist forensic teams with crime-scene photography and videography, fingerprint development and lifting, the collection of biological and trace evidence, preliminary examination of physical material and secure preservation of exhibits.
The Centre is providing financial support for the vehicles. Their operational expenditure, including recruitment of the required manpower, is the responsibility of the respective states and Union territories.
Mobile forensic personnel can attend crime scenes, identify relevant exhibits, document their condition and collect material for examination. The scientific analysis that follows may require instruments and facilities available only at larger laboratories.
For instance, a forensic team can collect bloodstained clothing, recover fingerprints or document a weapon found at a scene. Detailed DNA profiling, chemical examination or ballistics analysis may subsequently be undertaken elsewhere.
The vehicles will be especially useful in districts where specialised laboratories are situated at a considerable distance. They allow scientific personnel to reach crime scenes without requiring every district to maintain facilities for all forensic disciplines.
Odisha already has an established network of forensic institutions. The State Forensic Science Laboratory is located at Bhubaneswar, with regional laboratories at Berhampur, Sambalpur and Balasore.
The Odisha Police website describes a network of 36 district forensic laboratories. On the same page, it separately lists 15 functioning district laboratories. One of the district laboratories is located at Koraput. According to the Koraput district administration, the District Forensic Science Laboratory began operating from the District Police Headquarters in 1997.
Its scientific team comprises a Scientific Officer, Laboratory Assistant, fingerprint expert, photographer and Laboratory Attendant. The personnel travel to crime scenes in a mobile forensic unit vehicle, carrying equipment used to locate, record and process physical evidence.
The district laboratory assists investigating officers in cases involving offences such as murder, rape, dacoity, burglary, arson and dowry death. It also undertakes certain examinations within the facilities available to it.
The district administration states that exhibits requiring specialised chemical examination and expert opinion are forwarded to the State Forensic Science Laboratory at Bhubaneswar or the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory at Berhampur.
Thus, the scientific work involved in an investigation originating in Koraput may be divided between the district team and a larger laboratory. The local personnel attend crime scenes and undertake the work assigned to them, while specialised examinations are referred to the appropriate institution.
The example of Koraput is relevant to the ongoing infrastructure expansion. Mobile forensic vans are being provided to support crime-scene work, while new laboratories are being established to increase scientific examination facilities across the country.
The Centre has approved Rs 420 crore under the Scheme for Modernization of Forensic Capacities for upgrading existing forensic laboratories in states and Union territories.
The allocation is separate from NFIES. In addition, assistance has been provided to 30 states and Union territories under a Nirbhaya-funded scheme for strengthening DNA analysis and/or cyber-forensic capabilities, according to the MHA reply dated 29th July 2026.
At the central level, a DNA Analysis and Research and Development facility has been established at CFSL Chandigarh. A National Cyber Forensic Laboratory has also been set up at CFSL Hyderabad to handle important digital fraud and cyber-forensic cases.
Another six National Cyber Forensic Laboratories have been approved at CFSLs in Delhi, Kamrup, Bhopal, Pune, Chandigarh and Kolkata. The government has approved Rs 126.84 crore for these facilities.
Of the six, the laboratories at Delhi and Kamrup were operational by March 2026. The other four were at different stages of establishment, according to the MHA’s Lok Sabha reply dated 24th March 2026.
The reply also provided information about cyber-forensic work at CFSL Kolkata. During the preceding three years, the laboratory had handled approximately 794 cyber and computer forensic cases.
The existing facility had tools for examining mobile phones, computer disks and digital video recorders. Three in-house regular and contractual forensic professionals were handling cyber-forensic cases, and ten additional digital experts had been engaged on contract.
The cyber-forensic work at Kolkata was therefore continuing even as the additional National Cyber Forensic Laboratory proposed for the institution remained under establishment.
Digital-forensic facilities require equipment and software suitable for examining the electronic devices submitted by investigating agencies. New devices and storage technologies may require updated examination tools. In biological and chemical laboratories, expenditure also includes consumables, calibration, instrument maintenance and replacement of equipment when necessary.
The modernisation programme covers these existing scientific facilities, while the approved new laboratories will add examination capacity once they become operational.
Scientific findings produced by forensic laboratories may become part of criminal proceedings. The methods used during examination, the equipment involved and the competence of the laboratory personnel are therefore important.
According to the MHA’s Rajya Sabha reply on 1st April 2026, all seven existing Central Forensic Science Laboratories were accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).
NABL accreditation for testing laboratories is based on ISO/IEC 17025. The standard concerns laboratory competence and the procedures used to ensure reliable testing.
Accreditation is granted for a defined scope. This means that a laboratory’s accreditation status has to be considered together with the particular tests and methods included in that scope.
Apart from accreditation, the Directorate of Forensic Science Services has prepared manuals for forensic laboratory work. In a parliamentary reply dated 18th December 2024, MHA stated that quality manuals for ISO 17025 accreditation and working procedure manuals covering nine forensic disciplines had been issued.
The ministry also referred to guidelines on the collection, preservation and transportation of forensic evidence in sexual assault cases, along with standard equipment lists for establishing or upgrading laboratories.
Forensic examinations do not always produce a definite identification. A DNA examination may establish a correspondence between profiles, exclude a person as a possible source or produce an inconclusive result because the material is insufficient.
The scientific report has to record the findings and any relevant limitations. During criminal proceedings, the investigating agency and the court may examine the report and the basis on which the expert reached the conclusion.
The government’s work on forensic infrastructure also includes applications for maintaining records and exchanging information between institutions.
One of these applications is e-Forensics, which has been developed to maintain a digital repository of forensic data while providing security and integrity during storage and transmission.
In December 2024, MHA informed Parliament that 117 central and state forensic laboratories had been connected through the e-Forensics platform. Another initiative is the Inter-Operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS). The system connects applications used by police, courts, prisons, forensic laboratories and prosecution agencies, allowing authorised institutions to exchange information electronically.
Records handled through the criminal justice system include FIRs, charge sheets, court orders, forensic reports and prison-related information. Electronic exchange of these records forms part of the wider effort to improve coordination between the institutions involved in criminal proceedings.
Forensic laboratories also have administrative responsibilities. They receive exhibits and examination requests, maintain records of submissions, register examination status and prepare reports. Digital applications assist with managing this information and communicating it to investigating agencies.
The Centre has separately approved the establishment of a National Forensic Data Centre under the Safety of Women scheme. According to the MHA reply on 17th March 2026, the proposed centre is intended to receive forensic data from laboratories for evidence management.
The National Forensic Data Centre remained an approved project at the time of the reply, whereas e-Forensics was already operational. These systems concern the management and exchange of information rather than examination of electronic evidence recovered from crime scenes.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has included NFIES in its Output Outcome Monitoring Framework for the financial year 2026-27.
According to Ministry of Finance, Rs 130 crore has been provided for NFIES during the financial year. The framework identifies the operationalisation of NFSU campuses and forensic science laboratories among the programme’s output indicators.
However, the document does not specify numerical annual targets for the number of campuses or laboratories expected to become operational.
MHA has explained that construction depends on factors such as land acquisition, funding and cooperation between the stakeholders involved. The proposed arrangement for establishing university campuses and laboratories at the same locations also requires coordination during implementation.
For outcomes, the framework provides targets of 1,000 cases disposed of by CFSLs and 1,000 students graduating from NFSU during 2026-27.
The case-disposal figure concerns scientific examination activity, while the student figure concerns forensic education. The framework does not present either figure as a count of new operational laboratories or newly recruited scientific personnel.
Other information, such as appointments to scientific posts, the availability of specialised examination facilities and the time taken to complete examinations, can provide further details about the services available to investigating agencies.
NFIES will continue until 2028-29. The remaining projects will proceed through stages including land allocation, construction, equipment procurement and staffing, before commencing their respective academic or laboratory operations.
The Centre has undertaken several projects for forensic science education, laboratory infrastructure and crime-scene assistance following the introduction of the new criminal laws.
The Rs 2,254.43 crore NFIES provides for nine NFSU campuses and seven CFSLs. Another laboratory has been approved at Samba in Jammu and Kashmir. Separate programmes cover modernisation of existing state laboratories, DNA and cyber-forensic facilities, and mobile forensic vans.
By July 2026, five university campuses approved under NFIES had started functioning from transit premises. The government had also reported expenditure of Rs 119.09 crore under the scheme. In August, MHA stated that 619 mobile forensic vans had been allocated to states and Union territories.
The existing central laboratories were already undertaking scientific examinations, while the new CFSLs were at different stages of establishment. All seven existing CFSLs had NABL accreditation as reported in April 2026.
The infrastructure expansion is connected with the forensic requirement introduced under Section 176(3) of the BNSS. As states notify and implement the provision, forensic teams will be required to attend crime scenes in the specified categories of offences, making the availability of scientific personnel and examination facilities increasingly important.
The earlier parts of this series examined the movement of physical evidence from crime scenes to laboratories, the use of DNA and fingerprints for identifying individuals, including missing persons and unidentified bodies, and the examination of digital evidence recovered from mobile phones, CCTV systems and other electronic devices.
The new university campuses, laboratories and mobile forensic services will provide additional facilities and personnel for the work covered in those instalments.
The Bhubaneswar NFSU campus and the proposed adjoining CFSL are among the institutions being developed under NFIES. At the district level, existing arrangements such as the forensic team at Koraput show how investigating officers obtain scientific assistance at crime scenes and refer exhibits to larger laboratories when specialised examination is required.
The government’s five-year infrastructure programme will continue through 2028-29. During the remaining period, work will proceed on the establishment of new facilities, recruitment and training of personnel, and modernisation of existing laboratories. These developments will determine the additional scientific services available to investigating agencies as the forensic provisions of the new criminal laws are implemented.
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