Providing quality, timely reports top priority: Himachal forensic lab's first woman director

Shimla, Nov 17 (PTI) Providing quality and timely reports and filling up of vacant posts in the department would be the top priority, said Meenakshi Mahajan, the first woman director of Himachal Pradesh forensic services.

A notification in regard to her promotion from deputy director, Range Lab, Regional Forensic Science Laboratory, Dharamshala, to the director of forensic services was released on Thursday.

Removing pendency of cases, introducing latest technology, capacity building of the staff to keep them updated with the latest scenario in forensics would be the focus, besides exploring vehicle, drone and human behaviour forensics, she told PTI on Friday.

As mobile phones are found in most of the criminal and other cases, we will also work towards opening digitised data centres at the range level to process the digital device and reports would be analysed at the forensic laboratory, she said adding that this would reduce the burden on labs and would ensure timely reports.

Mahajan, the first qualified expert on questioned documents in the country, is also the technical assessor of the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) in the field of digital forensics and questioned documents.

Mahajan, a PhD in chemistry, had joined the forensic department as a research associate in 1999 and has worked on over 9,500 cases till date. She is a recipient of several national and international awards and has written a number of papers published in various journals.

Expressing her gratitude to the chief minister and officials concerned, Mahajan said the support of family members and teachers have played a crucial role in her career. PTI BPL MNK MNK MNK