The Telangana High Court heard a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the appointment of an IPS officer as the director of the Telangana State Forensic Science Laboratory. The bench, consisting of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice T Vinod Kumar, directed the petitioner, Pabbathi Sai Kumar, to involve Shikha Goel, IPS, the current director, in the PIL for further examination. The hearing was adjourned for a week.
The petitioner’s counsel argued that the forensic science laboratory plays a vital role in assisting investigating officers by providing crucial findings about a case. These findings help in solving the case and punishing the accused. Therefore, it is important for the laboratory to be led by a forensic scientist, not an IPS officer.
Since its establishment, the Telangana State Forensic Science Laboratory has always been headed by a forensic scientist. However, starting from 2015, the government has appointed IPS officers as directors, which goes against the rules set by the National Accreditation Board of Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL). According to NABL, only a forensic scientist should be appointed as the director. Since 2015, four IPS officers have been appointed as directors of TSFSL.
The division bench was hearing the PIL filed by Pabbathi Sai Kumar, which challenges the government’s decision to appoint an IPS officer as the director of TSFSL.
