SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: The Bombay High Court at Goa has pulled up the Director of the Verna-based State Forensic Laboratory (FSL) and has issued him a showcause notice (SCN) on contempt proceedings over the delay to make FSL fully functional and for failing to seek an extension from the court.
The Director General of Police (DGP) was also issued a warning while the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) was asked to submit a status report on Goa Police’s procurement of standard samples by October 31, which are required to make the FSL fully functional, at the next hearing that has been posted for October 25.
The Under Secretary (Personnel) has also been directed to file a detailed affidavit about the recruitment process with a timeline within which this recruitment process will be concluded.
Division Bench comprising Justices M S Sonak and M S Jawalkar said that despite the earlier assurances by Dr N P Waghmare, Director-FSL, that the existing forensic laboratory will be made fully operational latest by January 1, 2021, FSL is not functional because no standard samples have been procured till date and further, there is no sufficient staff available at the FSL.
“After the matter appeared on the Board, again, the approach is to express the usual difficulties that give us prima facie reasons to believe that he never intended to comply with the assurances solemnly given. The assurances, it prima facie appears, were only to buy time and thereafter come up with yet another set of excuses,” read the HC order.
The Justices pointed out that it is only a case of contempt by Waghmare for breach of undertaking solemnly given by him to this Court, but that also, they have to consider whether the State is in breach of compliance with the order of the Supreme Court, where directions were issued to all State governments to expeditiously set up such FSLs way back in the year 2013.
“This is because setting up a laboratory but not making the same functional is no compliance at all,” the Justices added.
