Kerala high court seeks report on pendency of trials due to staff shortage in forensic labs
The bench of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice C Jayachandran was considering a petition by Kerala State Legal Services Authority (KeLSA) which sought a directive to the state govt and Kerala Public Service Commission (KPSC) to recruit an adequate number of scientific assistants in forensic science laboratories. KeLSA, in its petition, alleged that the vacancies and the failure to appoint scientific assistants in FSLs have adversely impacted the conduct of trials, particularly in Pocso and NDPS cases.
Although KeLSA had also highlighted delays in appointing special public prosecutors in Pocso courts, the state govt informed HC on Thursday that necessary steps were being taken to address this issue. HC, however, directed the state and PSC to coordinate and ensure that the vacancies are filled without delay, observing that continued inaction would affect the state's criminal justice system.
The counsel for the PSC explained the procedural requirements and inherent time lag involved in appointments. In this context, the court called for a report from the district judiciary on the extent to which criminal trials are pending due to the lack of forensic reports.
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Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Indian Express
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Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Centre's pick & choose policy hits HC judge appointments
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Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
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