CM Saini urges Shah to establish NFSU campus in Haryana, offers free land in Panchkula

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has offered free land in Panchkula for setting up both temporary and permanent campuses of the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), Gandhinagar.

In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Chief Minister urged speedy approval of the project.

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According to the letter, the Haryana government had requested the Union Home Ministry on November 15, 2022, through a demi-official letter for permission to establish NFSU campuses in Panchkula. The request was forwarded to NFSU, Gandhinagar, which constituted a committee to inspect the proposed land. The committee visited the site in August and subsequently submitted its report to the Union Home Ministry.

The CM emphasized in his letter that the Haryana government is committed to providing land free of cost for the project and requested the Union Home Ministry to grant approval at the earliest. He stated that the initiative would not only strengthen forensic science education in Haryana but also create new opportunities for the state’s youth.

Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department, Dr Sumita Misra, stated that the state is actively working to become the first in India to fully implement the provisions of the new criminal laws. This includes issuing necessary notifications, guidelines, SOPs, and upgrading infrastructure and human resource capabilities across all stakeholder departments, including Police, Prisons, Prosecution, and Judiciary.

Commenting on the proposed NFSU campus, Dr Misra said, “The establishment of the National Forensic Sciences University will be a major milestone for Haryana’s students, especially in the context of the new criminal laws under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The university will offer education in modern forensic techniques and judicial sciences, empowering students to support the judicial and law enforcement systems effectively.”

She further informed that the state government is focused on modernizing equipment, capacity building, and infrastructure development. In this regard, the government has sanctioned 17 new Mobile Forensic Science Units (MFSUs), 9 Toxicology Divisions, and allocated Rs 68.70 crore for the procurement of modern equipment for forensic labs.

Since the introduction of the new criminal laws, the Haryana Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) has seen significant enhancements, with sanctioned posts increasing from 351 to 599 (a 70.7 per cent rise) and actual postings growing from 167 to 342 (a 104.8 per cent increase). Additionally, 257 new posts have been created and are under recruitment, accompanied by major technical upgrades aimed at transforming the state’s forensic capabilities.

The FSL is also expediting the processing of DNA and forensic reports, especially in sensitive cases. Districts such as Faridabad, Karnal, Dabwali, Fatehabad, Kurukshetra, Sirsa, and Rewari have reported commendable performance, with conviction rates exceeding 75 per cent, she added.