UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF LEGAL STUDIES, PANJAB
UNIVERSITY, CHANDIGARH
POLICE AND SECURITY ADMINISTRATION PROJECT- FORENSIC
LABORATORIES, FINGER PRINT BUREAU, CYBER CELL
Submitted To: Dr. Arti Sharma Submitted By: Palbvir Singh
Roll No.: 24054
Semester: 1st
Section: Stream - III
Class: LL.M. (One year)
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Acknowledgement
I would like to express my sincere thanks of gratitude to my professor of POLICE
AND SECURITY ADMINISTRATION, Dr. Arti Sharma, who gave me the golden
opportunity to do this wonderful project on the topic “FORENSIC LABORATORIES,
FINGER PRINT BUREAU, CYBER CELL.”
Secondly, I would like to thank my family and friends who helped me throughout
the project with various information and required materials. Their constant
support was encouraging for me. It helped me to complete my project on time.
It was my immense pleasure to research upon such a great topic which helped me
in gaining meaningful insights. It was really a delightful experience for me to work
on this topic.
Palbvir Singh
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Table of Content
[Link]. Topic Page No.
1. Introduction 4
2. Meaning and definition of Forensic 5-6
Science
3. History & Nature of Forensic Science 7
4. Forensic Science Laboratories 8-11
5. Finger Print Bureau 12-15
6. Cyber Cell 16-18
7. Conclusion 19
8. Bibliography 20
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INTRODUCTION
Our ancestors applied forensic science in various fields, without knowing the
science behind it. Now, forensic science has turned into a wide branch, which is
used to solve crimes and in other purposes also. There are many branches of
Forensic Science and the main branches of forensic science include forensic
chemistry, forensic toxicology, and forensic behavioral science, questioned
document, fingerprint forensics, digital forensics, cyber forensics, forensic
anthropology, criminology, forensic biology, forensic ballistics, forensic serology,
and so on.
One of the important parts of forensic science improvement is that the
contamination of the sample collected and crime scene is low as compared to
earlier centuries. The analyzed records are being preserved for the future
requirements. The forensic investigators follow a particular procedure during their
investigation including seizing the crime scene, collection of evidences, forwarding
to the laboratories, questioning, and making reports of the statements given by
witnesses, suspect, victim, and scientific officer, till they produce their concluded
report to the court.
Forensic science plays a role in criminal and civil law. Forensic scientists help
determine cause of death, identify perpetrators of crimes, identify bodily remains,
track the electronic transfer of money, investigate internet fraud and identity
theft, and reconstruct vehicular accidents. Laws regulate the safety and quality of
our food and water, the potency of medications, motor vehicle emissions, and
pesticides used on crops. It would be impossible to monitor compliance with laws
if not for accurate laboratory testing. Forensic science is becoming increasingly
broad in its application to law and criminal investigations.
Crime laboratory analyses are only relevant if the specimens received are properly
collected, transported and preserved. Crime scene evidence is often collected and
transported by trained police officers.
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Meaning and Definition of Forensic Science
Forensic science may be defined as a science applied to matters of law. Forensic
science is science used for the purpose of the law and thus any branch of science
used in the resolution of legal disputes is forensic science. In the broadest sense,
forensic science is any science used in the resolution of legal conflicts.
The word forensic is rooted in Latin word forensis. The dictionary meaning of word
the forensic is relating to court or law or relating to court of law. But in legal
terminology it may mean the science which deals with the principles and practice
of different branches of science which elucidates doubtful questions in court of
justice. It is a science composing of those matters which may be considered as
common ground to both the scientists and the legal practitioners.
Forensic science is the application of natural sciences to matters of the law. In
practice, forensic science draws upon physics, chemistry, biology, and other
scientific principles and methods. Forensic science is concerned with the
recognition, identification, individualization, and evaluation of physical evidence.
Forensic scientists present their findings as expert witnesses in the court of law.
The word “forensic” means “pertaining to the law”; forensic science resolves legal
issues by applying scientific principles to them.
Forensic Science is the application of the methods and techniques of the basic
sciences to legal issues. As you can imagine Forensic Science is a very broad field
of study. Crime Laboratory Scientists, sometimes called Forensic Scientists or,
more properly, Criminalists, work with physical evidence collected at scenes of
crimes.
Forensic science is the scientific analysis and documentation of evidence suitable
for legal proceedings. Many people have heard the term “forensics” used to
describe school debate clubs. There is a similarity between these two forms of the
word. In academic forensics, political or other issues are debated between two
teams using a logical approach, and likewise in forensic science the debate (or
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comparison) is between the physical evidence and the known or suspected
circumstances about an event.
Forensic scientists determine scientific facts from the evidence they evaluate and
may testify as expert witnesses in civil or criminal courts or other legal
proceedings. It is the responsibility of the lawyers, judges, and juries to prosecute,
defend, and judge the guilt or innocence of an individual accused of wrongdoing.
It is the responsibility of the forensic scientist to present the scientific facts in a
fair, objective manner based on accepted scientific methods to facilitate the
decision.
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History & Nature of Forensic Science
Forensic science may look very advanced and modern but it’s surprising to know
that it has a rich and varied history that spans millennia. It has evolved alongside
human civilization and is still evolving with advancements in science and
technology. Its roots can be traced back to ancient cultures and civilizations. For
example, fingerprinting and autopsy were known to humans and used for the
identification of the body and determining the cause of death in ancient Egypt and
China1.
However, with advancements in technology in the 18th and 19th centuries,
forensic science found a new meaning. Experts and academics started to study
and practice forensics due to which it gradually became a formal discipline. One of
the most important advancements in forensics in this early period includes the
Marsh test developed by James Marsh in 1836 for detecting arsenic poisoning and
the proposal of fingerprint identification by Henry Faulds in 1880. The first
comprehensive textbook on criminal investigation was published by Hans Gross,
an Austrian psychiatrist in 1893 which laid the foundation for modern forensic
practices and was critical to its growth.
Forensic science further prospered and bloomed both as a discipline and a focus
of research in the 20th century. This period witnessed a vast expansion of forensic
science along with numerous discoveries. Moreover, further technological
innovations not directly linked to forensics also proliferated its growth.
Over the last few decades, forensic science has continued to progress at a
remarkable pace. This growth is attributed to recent advancements in science and
technology and interdisciplinary collaboration between various disciplines of
science. Different fields such as digital forensics, forensic anthropology, and
forensic psychology have emerged, which has expanded the scope and capabilities
of forensic science in solving crimes, identifying perpetrators, and ensuring justice.
1
[Link]
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Forensic Science Laboratories
In India, the establishment of forensic science institutions was without proper
planning. In the beginning there were a few scientific sections available to the
police which performed examination of fire-arms, foot prints, questioned
documents and photography. There also existed chemical examiner laboratories
which used to perform the toxicological analysis. With the growth in awareness of
the importance of forensic science in criminal investigation, various forensic
science laboratories were set up in the States as well as in the Center. However,
the facilities offered were not comprehensive to cover all the aspects of forensic
science. Currently, new forensic laboratories are properly planned, with
comprehensive forensic science facilities under the same roof, and well equipped
to cater to the needs of law enforcement agencies. Most of the State and Central
Forensic Science Laboratories consist of several divisions, each providing services
related to their domain of specialization.
The first Central Forensic Science Laboratory was established at Calcutta during
1957. To begin with, this laboratory was organized into four basic disciplines viz.
Forensic Physics, Forensic Chemistry, Forensic Biology and Forensic Ballistics. For
application of nuclear methods of analysis to criminal investigation, the Neutron
Activation Analysis Unit of CFSL, Calcutta was set up in 1970 at the Bhabha Atomic
Research Centre, Trombay. During the year 1965, the second central forensic
science laboratory was established at Hyderabad, The CFS, Hyderabad initially
established analytical facilities in the disciplines of Forensic Physics, Forensic
Chemistry and Forensic Biology. The Central Forensic Science Laboratory,
Chandigarh, was established, in the year 1933 at Lahore was shifted to Chandigarh
during 1961. Over the years many full-fledged forensic science laboratories were
established in various states.
The primary function of forensic science laboratory is to examine the evidences
involved in crime. In addition to the laboratory job, forensic scientists also analyze
the scene of occurrence, collect evidences, and carry out photography. They are
also involved in academic activities, like, research work in forensic science,
teaching forensic science to forensic science students, police trainees, public
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prosecutors and judges. Forensic Science experts appear in Courts to explain and
prove their findings. The facilities offered by the forensic science laboratories in
different States are not uniform. The basic structure of forensic science
laboratories in the Centre and the States consists of functional divisions as follows:
1. Physics Division
2. Chemistry Division
3. Ballistics Division
4. Biology Division
5. Serology Division
6. Toxicology Division
7. Documents Division
The services provided by these divisions clearly indicate the scope of forensic
science in India.
(1) Physics Division
The Physics division is equipped with the scientific equipment for analysis of
physical evidences as follows:
i. Analysis of glass, paint and other trace elements in hit and run cases.
ii. Examination and comparison of torn fabric, ropes etc.
iii. Examination and comparison of trace elements like glass, soil, metal
fragments, soil, dust, dirt etc.
iv. Analysis and restoration of erased marks/numbers on stolen articles like
vehicles, machines, firearms etc.
v. Analysis of tool marks, counterfeit coins, etc.
(2) Chemistry Division
The Chemistry division is equipped for analysis of the following:
i. Analysis of chemicals to ascertain their identity, quality and composition.
ii. Analysis of fragments of metal and metal alloys for identification and
comparison.
iii. Analysis of inflammable material in cases of arson, dowry death etc.
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iv. Analysis of quality of construction material like bricks, cement, concrete
etc.
v. Analysis of narcotics, pesticides etc., for their identification.
vi. Determination of presence of alcohol and narcotics in blood and urine in
cases of suspected drunkenness and drug addiction.
(3) Ballistics Division
The Ballistics division is equipped to deal with the following:
i. Examination of firearms and ammunitions to detect whether the bullets
were fired from a particular firearm to the exclusion of all others.
ii. Determination of time, range and angle of firing.
iii. Identification of explosives and residue materials after the explosion.
(4) Document Division
The Document divisions are equipped for the examination of questioned
documents, hand-written, typed or printed material. This division handles the
following matters:
i. Comparison of questioned writings and signatures with known standard
writing to find the genuineness of the questioned document.
ii. Examination of printed matter to identify the blocks and plates used in
printing.
iii. Examination of impressions of rubber stamps and metal seals for their
identification.
iv. Examination of erased, altered, added or obliterated writings.
v. Examination of writing material like pen, pencil, paper, ink etc.
vi. Determination of age of ink, and the document as well as the order of
writing.
vii. Detection of forged currency notes, lottery tickets, railway tickets etc.
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(5) Biology Division
The biology divisions are equipped for the examination of physical evidence
relating to living beings (humans, animals and plants). This division generally
performs the following work:
i. Examination of human and animal bones, teeth and their remnant parts,
human and animal body parts for the purpose of identification.
ii. Examination of other evidences like seeds, leaves, pollens, other plant
parts.
iii. Bacteriological and entomological examination of exhibits.
(6) Serology Division
The Serology division performs the following examination:
i. Examination of materials stained with blood, semen, sweat, saliva and other
body fluids, to determine their nature, origin, grouping, DNA profile etc.
ii. Individualization of blood and bloodstains with the help of enzymatic
analysis.
iii. Determination of paternity with the help of serological analysis.
(7) Toxicology Division
The Toxicology Division conducts both qualitative and quantitative analyses.
Qualitative analyses identify particular substances in a specimen. Quantitative
analyses are intended to both identify particular substances as well as its quantity
in the given specimen. The Toxicological division performs the following
examination:
i. Examination of viscera, stomach contents etc. to determine the type of
poisoning.
ii. Determination of blood and other intoxicants in blood and urine in drunken
driving cases.
iii. Analysis of abused/banned drugs.
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Finger Print Bureau
William Herschel, the Collector of the District of Hooghly (Bengal) found that
markings on the fingertips of a person never changed during his lifetime. Herschel
applied his knowledge and skill in devising a system of registration of finger or
thumb impressions of native contractors to safeguard the interests of the
Government against the repudiation of contracts by them.
Thereafter, he extended his registration procedure to prison regulations for
identifying convicted criminals. In 1877, Herschel sought the consent of his
superior officers in putting his ideas into practice, but did not succeed.
In 1891, Edward Richard Henry's appointment, the Inspector General of Police in
Bengal, introduced the thumb impressions in the record slips, containing
anthropometric data, to avoid wrong identification. Long before 1897, he
introduced maintenance of duplicate criminal records with impressions of 10
fingers separately.
Henry employed few selected Indian police officers, viz. Khan Bahadur Azizul Huq
and Rai Bahadur Hem Chandra Bose to work under his general supervision till the
classification was evolved, which remains the basic system even to-day. It was
Khan Bahadur Azizul Huq who evolved a mathematical formula to supplement
Henry's idea of sorting slips in 1024 pigeon holes, based on fingerprint patterns.
Rai Bahadur Hem Chandra Bose made further contribution to the fingerprint
science by evolving an extended system of sub-classification, a telegraphic code
for finger impression and a system of single digit classification.
Henry approached the Government to seek approval for replacing the
anthropometric data by fingerprints for the identification of habitual criminals.
Government readily agreed, and the first fingerprint bureau in the world was
officially declared open at Calcutta in July 1897, although the collection of record
slips had started a few years earlier. Thus, the personnel identification solely on
the basis of fingerprints commenced in India.
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Establishment of Fingerprint bureau of India
The Central Finger publish Bureau, more known by the acronym CFPB among the
law enforcement agencies of the country, came into actuality in the time 1955. It
fulfilled a long-cherished demand of law enforcement agencies throughout the
country as a nodal agency to effectively deal in Inter-State nature of Felonious
enquiries by dogging/ locating Inter-State culprits, and, Standardization,
Modernization and Collaboration of Fingerprint Breaux. A need was felt to
computerize finger print records at State and National headquarters for effective
conservation of records and coordinating Crime of inter-state and inter-national
culprits. The World's First Finger publish Bureau was set up in Calcutta in 1897. A
CFPB was established at Shimla in 1905, still it was closed in 1922 as a result of
retrenchment proffers of the Inchcape Committee2. The Present CFPB came into
actuality in 1955 under the executive control of Intelligence Bureau at Delhi. It
was dislocated to Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1956. The executive control of CFPB
shifted to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 1973, and since July,1986, this
has been under the executive control of NCRB.
Objectives
• To maintain Finger publish record slips of the indicted person condemned in
colorful Acts.
• To conduct hunt relating to unidentified Interstate arrested suspected
persons entered from police stations and other probing agencies in India.
• To maintain the fingerprints of transnational culprits and red corner notices
transferred by Interpol and to conduct hunt on references entered from
foreign countries, through Interpol.
• To take over examination of questioned finger prints on documents entered
from Central Government Departments/ Undertakings/ Courts of law.
• To conduct training in Fingerprint Science to State/ Central Police labor
force and also to labour force from foreign countries under Technical Co-
Operation Scheme’(TCS) of Colombo Plan,' Special Commonwealth African
2
[Link]
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Assistance Plan’(SCAAP) and International Technical and Economic Co-
Operation’(ITEC).
• To co-ordinate the work of the State Finger publishes Bureaux and give
necessary guidance in all matters relating to Fingerprint Science.
• To conduct the All-India Conference of Directors of Finger publish Bureaux.
• To conduct All India Board Examination annually for accrediting Finger,
publish Experts.
• To conduct competition in Finger, publish wisdom at the All-India Police
Duty Meet held annually.
Functional roles and Training Activities
The main functions of the CFPB have been substantially to maintain a database of
point of culprits, National & International, and to circulate the information. This
was aimed at :
• To maintain Finger, publish Record Slips, conduct hunt of specified orders of
Indian and foreign culprits condemned of offences falling under the
schedule of crime of CFPB, and also, to maintain records of transnational
culprits transferred by the Interpol Division of CBI and Narcotics Control
Bureau, New Delhi.
• To take over examination of questioned finger prints appertained by Central
Govt. departments and Govt. of India undertakings.
• To conduct training in F.P. Science (Theory and Practical) to police and non-
police labour force of State Govt. in India and labour force from foreign
countries under' Technical Co-operation Scheme' of Colombo Plan,' Special
Commonwealth African Assistance Plan' and International Technical and
Economic Co-operation' with other developing countries.
• To Co-ordinate the work of the State Finger publishes Bureaux and give
necessary guidance in all matters relating to F.P. Science. To conduct All
Indian Board Examination (since 1956) every time for accrediting the Finger
publish Experts. The eligibility to appear in the examination is a graduate
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from an honored university and who has completed three times practical
experience in finger print work.
• To conduct All Indian Board Examination (since 1956) every time for
accrediting the Finger publish Experts. The eligibility to appear in the
examination is a graduate from an honored university and who has
completed three times practical experience in finger print work.
• To conduct competition in Finger, publish Science at the All-India Police
Duty Meet (since 1958) annually.
• To publish ‘Finger publish in India’, a periodic publication, which is an in-
depth study of the performance and conditioning of all the Finger publish
Bureaux of the country.
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Cyber Cell
Cyber-crime cells are the one-track solution towards combatting and tackling
cyber-crime. Now an act of cyber-crime is a punishable criminal act which may
include acts of online stalking, online banking or credit card scams, hacking and
proliferating software viruses. These cyber-crime cells are the brainchild of the
criminal investigation departments of cities in India and have been opened under
these departments only to handle the issue of Internet related criminal activity.
This computer and internet-based crimes are governed under the Information
Technology Act, 2000 and the Act further penalizes such acts.
We can arrange cyber-crime activities in two different categories:
The computer as a target: utilizing a PC to assault different PCs. For example,
Hacking, Virus/Worm assaults, DOS assault and so forth.
The PC as a weapon: utilizing a PC to perpetrate and commit actual and real-world
criminal activities. For example, Digital Terrorism, IPR infringement, credit card
scams, EFT cheats, pornography and so on.
According to The Information Technology Act of India, when a cyber-crime has
been carried out, it has a worldwide purview and jurisdiction. Furthermore, a
complaint or a grievance can be recorded at any cyber-crime cell in any of the
cities. A person may need to give a name, street address and a phone number
alongside an application letter headed to the respective person heading the
cyber-crime cell when recording a complaint with the cyber-crime cell. A person
must give specific documentation with a specific end goal to enroll a complaint
with cyber-crime cell. List of records change with the kind of cyber-crime activity
and differs from crime-to-crime basis.
In the event of hacking, the accompanying data ought to be given3:
• Logs recorded in the server to look for evidence.
3
[Link]
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• A duplicate of the hacked site page in a soft copy format and in addition
printed version format, if casualty’s site is destroyed. If information and
data are lost or traded off on the casualty’s server or PC or another system
network, then a soft copy of the original information and a soft copy of the
lost information.
• Subtle details and information regarding access and control of the
component hacked.
• List of suspects if the casualty is having any suspicion on anybody.
• All applicable and relevant data prompting the responses after inquiries
leading to the following questions:
i. What is lost or compromised?
ii. Who may have hacked the framework?
iii. At the point when was the framework hacked?
iv. Why may have been the framework or system hacked?
v. Where is the effect or impact of the assault distinguishing the targeted
framework from the network?
vi. What number of frameworks have been lost by the assault?
vii. If there should be an occurrence of email misuse, obscene email, and
so forth the accompanying data ought to be given: The augmented
headers of culpable email and the culpable email.
To combat cyber-crimes, the CBI has in place the following special units and
structures:
(i) Cyber Crimes Research and Development Unit (CCRDU);
(ii) Cyber Crime Investigation Cell (CCIC);
(iii) Cyber Forensics Laboratory; and
(iv) Network Monitoring Centre.
The CCIC which was established in September 1999 is an integral part of the
economic offenses division, the cell enjoys its jurisdiction all over the country and
has investigative powers for criminal offenses under the information technology
act, 2000.
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After the preliminary complaint filing, the investigation by the cell begins with
search and seizure of digital evidence, which refers to an intangible form of data in
the virtual world. The investigating officer has to look for a place where lies a
suspicion that the computer or networks of different computers are likely to be
found, and the help of computer forensic scientists may be required in such
operations.
The advice of technical experts should be relied on and availed wherever
necessary. The investigating officer needs to survey the equipment and needs to
take precautionary steps before dismantling the system or the network so that no
important data is lost. The next step is labeling and picturing the entire network
site before the dismantling begins. Each and every part of the network system
needs to be labeled correctly so that the reassembly is accurately done.
Also, in case a computer system is down, try not to turn it back on as it might lead
to the eradication of the entire data in the system, likewise if a system is up and
running then it shouldn’t be turned off before consulting or checking. Once
everything is labeled and powered down, then the dismantling can be started, and
a proper procedure should be taken while dismantling the system. Along with
dismantling, all the documents related to the system or the working of the system
should be seized as well as the manuals seized might be referred by the examiners
at the forensic lab.
The Information Technology Act, 2000 provides any police officer who isn’t below
the rank of deputy superintendent of police to investigate any offense under this
Act4. Also, according to the provisions of the Act, the central government shall
appoint an officer, not below the rank of a Director to the Government of India or
an equivalent officer of a state government to adjudicate and inquire the matter5.
Also, any police officer not below the rank of a deputy superintendent shall have
the powers to enter and search.
4
Section 80 of the Information Technology Act, 2000
5
Section 46 of the Information Technology Act, 2000
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Conclusion
Forensic science comes up as an imperative tool in the pursuit of justice.
Assimilation of scientific principles with examination procedures not only favors
resolving crimes but also vindicates the innocent and safeguards answerability for
the convicted. From the accurate investigation of crime scenes to the
demonstration of specialist evidence, the roles of forensic experts contribute to an
extensive and standardized effort at crime solving. This powerful foundation
boosts the adequacy of law implementation and the judicial system,
strengthening forensic science's integral position in the present era. Furthermore,
forensic proof executes effortlessly within the boundaries of the Indian legal
skeleton. Its responsibility is dualized, directing individuals executing criminal
investigations and provisioning judges with absolute information, nurturing their
confidence in deciding both criminal and civil conflicts. In contemporary times,
forensic science stays a highly developed scientific technology utilized in both
criminal and civil investigations. It personifies a configuration of upscale scientific
methodologies, including but not restricted to fingerprint examination, DNA
profiling, ballistics, ordinance, and firearms investigation.
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Bibliography
Books
• Dr. B.R Sharma, "Forensic Science in Criminal Investigation & Trials"
(Universal Law Publishing, Gurgaon 5th Edition 2014)
• Modi's Medical Jurisprudence and Toxicology, [Link] and Amrit K
Patnaik, Lexis Nexis,Buttersworth,2010.
Websites
• [Link]
in-india
• [Link]
importance-more/
• [Link]
[Link]#:~:text=A%20forensic%20laboratory%20is%20often,and%20
who%20the%20perpetrator%20is.
• [Link]
and_Cyber_Security
• [Link]
[Link]
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