A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF FORENSIC EVIDENCE AND WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS IN INDIA

AUTHOR – S. RAMJITH* & MRS.JISHA JS**

* STUDENT AT VELS INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY & ADVANCED STUDIES (VISTAS)

** ASSISTANT PROFESSOR AT SCHOOL OF LAW, VELS INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ADVANCED STUDIES (VISTAS)

BEST CITATION – S. RAMJITH & MRS.JISHA JS, A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF FORENSIC EVIDENCE AND WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS IN INDIA, INDIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL REVIEW (IJLR), 6 (7) OF 2026, PG. 218-226, APIS – 3920 – 0001 & ISSN – 2583-2344.

ABSTRACT

The integrity of forensic evidence is foundational to the legitimacy of criminal justice. In India, however, systemic deficiencies in forensic infrastructure — including chronic laboratory understaffing, inadequate funding, the absence of uniform protocols, and a structural conflict of interest arising from the institutional proximity of forensic laboratories to law enforcement agencies — have rendered forensic evidence unreliable in a significant proportion of criminal trials. This article undertakes a comprehensive critical analysis of the role of forensic evidence in wrongful convictions in India. It examines the conceptual and legal framework governing forensic evidence under the Indian Evidence Act 1872, the evidentiary value and limitations of major forensic disciplines (DNA profiling, fingerprint analysis, ballistics, and toxicology), the institutional architecture of forensic science in India, and the primary causes of wrongful convictions. The article draws on comparative analysis of the Daubert standard (United States), the Forensic Science Regulator model (United Kingdom), and the accreditation frameworks of Australia to identify lessons applicable to India. It concludes with concrete legislative, institutional, and capacity-building recommendations — including the establishment of an independent National Forensic Science Commission, amendment of Section 45 of the Indian Evidence Act to incorporate reliability criteria, and urgent enactment of the DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill — to strengthen forensic science and reduce the incidence of wrongful convictions in India.

Keywords: forensic evidence, wrongful convictions, Indian Evidence Act, DNA profiling, cognitive bias, Daubert standard, forensic reform, Section 45, NFSC, criminal justice India