DNA Edit: More forensic labs must for conviction in rape cases

Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi’s revelation that no forensic analysis is conducted in 13,000 rape cases as premium forensic labs of the country lacked capacity is quite shocking. 

To anyone who wondered why conviction rate in rape cases is so low, the answer lies in the statistic that just one in four of them is found guilty. We have found that the weakest part in conviction is forensic, the minister said. In a country where 106 rapes happen every day as per the National Crime Records Bureau’s 2016 report, it is disturbing to note that a premier forensic laboratory in Chandigarh handles just 160 cases a year. 

As many as 16,000 cases are sent to forensic labs across the country and only about 3,000 cases are processed annually. One can only imagine the backlog and lengthy trials that eventually let rapists (even if we consider not all are, there will be many who would get benefit of doubt) slip away. It only shows the insensitivity of the administration that remains hopelessly inactive in matters so important. Every now and then, a brutal rape shakes up our conscience and a genuine rage sweeps across the nation. We saw this during the Nirbhaya rape and murder in Delhi back in 2012 and the Kathua rape and murder earlier this year. There was nation-wide outcry on both these occasions. And yet, not much changed at the ground level. 

Maneka, one of those ministers in the government who believes in action rather than talk, seems to have decided to take the proverbial bull by its horns and has taken steps in the right direction by adding capacity to CFSLs. With the fund named after Nirbhaya, the Delhi rape victim, more labs will be coming up in Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Bhopal and Guwahati and the capacity will go up to 50000 cases a year. This, coupled with kits in police stations and hospitals for collection of evidence like blood and semen samples, should help better conviction in rape cases.