Indians in forensics: A brief walk through time
Since the time of the ancient
Indians, forensics has been a topic of curiosity. Numerous academics have
discussed the numerous facets of forensics and its applications, which are
still relevant today. These academics achieved such fame that their names will
live on in legal history. In comparison to experts in other countries, many
forensic scientists in India are not as well recognized. The following list
includes some of the forensics minds.
Sushruta:
Known as the ‘Father of Surgery’,
He lived in India sometime between 1000 and 800 BC. Sushruta also had a helping
hand in the field of forensics. In the book “Samudra Sashtra”, it is mentioned
that poisons have a deleterious effect on human body, both internally and
externally, deaths by plant poisons, animals’ poisons, and even manmade poisons
with their symptoms before and after death were observed by him. Whorls, loops,
and arch patterns are among the three main types of ridge patterns according to
Gallon. These patterns correlate with the imprints of the hand “Chakra, Shankya
and Padma” ridge patterns which is called as “Samudra Shastra” in Ancient
India. Although there have been other mentions of poisons in Indian texts such
as ‘Charaka Samhita’, the description of Sushruta is seemed to be more
descriptive and elaborative, hence enlightening his concepts on poisoning and
toxicology/agadatantra.
Chanakya:
He is known as Kautilya (3rd
century BCE - 3rd century CE) and Vishnugupta, and he is best known as the
author of "Arthashastra." The first ten verses of the seventh chapter
of this book enlists forensic view of death. Homicides caused by poisoning,
drowning, suffocation, or even being thrown from a height are among them. Even
today, it is amazing how accurately the small details and references to the analysis
of the corpse, such as "In case of sudden death, the corpse must be
smeared with oil and examined" (तैल-अभ्यक्तं आशु-मृतकं परीक्षेत)
Idupuganti Bhooshana
Rao (6 January 1914 – 3 May 1976) :
Idupuganti Bhooshana Rao was a
leading figure in Forensic Medicine in India and Founding-President of the
Indian Academy of Forensic Medicine established in 1972. He served as the
Professor, the Postgraduate Professor, the Head of Forensic Medicine, the City
Police Surgeon, and the Superintendent in various places mostly located in
South India. The Deendayal Upadhyaya case, the Indraprastha Estate case, the
Lajpatnagar Police Station case, the Meena Tandon case, and the Tank Bund
Double Murder Case were some of the most well-known cases he worked on. The
Indian government also requested that he look into the passing of Lal Bahadur
Shastri, who was the country's prime minister at the time.
Dr. Sibte Hasan Ziadi
(15 April 1918 – 5 April 2008):
Well-known toxicologist and pathologist,
Dr. Sibte Hasan Zaidi, holds a prominent place in forensic history of India. He
is best known for his experiments
that described the effects of silica, coal dust, asbestos, synthetic dyes, and
heavy metals on the human body, and their role in diseases, such as silicosis
and coal worker's pneumoconiosis. He played a crucial role in founding several
well-known institutions, including Indian Institute of Toxicology Research.
Pakkiriswamy
Chandra Sekharan
(15 April 1934 – 11 July 2017):
He was an Indian forensic expert, writer, and a former director of the department of forensics science of the government of Tamil Nadu. He was best known for his contributions in the investigation in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. He secured his degrees of graduate and post-graduation from Annamalai University and Doctoral research from University of Madras in 1986. He was the president of the Forensics International and has published several articles on the subject of forensics, including Studies on certain forensic aspects of skull identification and individualization, and Forensic science--as is what is and a monograph, Lip forensics : forensic cheiloscopy for crime investigation and criminal identification : labial structure for personal appearance identification and personal identification. He was awarded with the third highest civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan in 2000.
Lalji Singh (5 July
1947 – 10 December 2017):
Lalji Singh is famously known as
the ‘Father of Indian DNA Fingerprinting’. He has majorly contributed in the
Wildlife Conservation Forensics by creating a Laboratory for conservation of
endangered species (LaCONES) where the first DNA-based test of an unknown
biological sample found in a wildlife crime case was conducted. The technique
has been used in more than 300 forensic investigations including that of the
assassination of India's former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, the 1995 Naina
Sahni tandoor murder case and the 1996 Priyadarshini Mattoo murder case. He has
also authored many books, like ‘DNA Fingerprinting: The Witness within’, and
publications which have provided information that have aided many researchers
and scientists in the forensic science field.
Dr. K. S. Narayan Reddy
(17 July 1930 – 9 April 2021):
He was an Indian professor of
Forensic Medicine. He was awarded a degree of Doctor of Philosophy in medicine
by International University of Contemporary Studies, Washington D.C. His books
– The Essentials of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology and The Synopsis of
Forensic Medicine and Toxicology are very famous. He was also awarded the
highest award in medical science, Dr. B. C. Roy award for his contribution in
development of medical specialities in 1986. He has written 31 articles and
published 10 books on Forensic Medicine. He has also contributed to a great
number of forensic cases all over India.
Tirath Das Dogra (18
July 1947) :
Tirath Das Dogra is an Indian
Forensic Pathologist. He has contributed in many areas like Medical
jurisprudence, forensic pathology, forensic medicine, toxicology etc. He has
aided many cases like the prime ministers Indira Gandhi, Charan Singh and Rajiv Gandhi and more. The start of
many laboratories like the DNA and the Medical Toxicology Laboratories at AIIMS
were done by him. He invented the Dogra’s Test, which helps identify old
suspected bullet hit marks (some bullet marks were almost two years old). He
has been a part of many committees, has provided many consultations and has
published many research papers, making him one of the most active people in
forensic science in India.
Kewal Krishan (24 November 1973):
Dr. Krishan has been recently ranked amongst
the top 2% scientists of the world in the field of Legal & Forensic
Medicine based on a study conducted
by Stanford University scientists.
Krishan’s published research deals with the analysis of various aspects of
human morphology and their forensic applications in Indian populations. His
most cited work pertains to the forensic podiatry of the North Indian
population. In one of his noteworthy works in 2008, he studied the effect
of body weight and additional body weight on
the footprints and its interpretation in crime scene
investigation. He also established some of the unique and individualistic
characteristics of the footprints which are helpful in identification of
criminals. He devised and calculated the effect of limb asymmetry on estimation
of stature in forensic examinations. He has published unique work on
the footprint ridge density of Indian population and its significance in forensic
identification.
Dr. Sasthi Chowdhury :
He retired as the Director of State
Forensic Laboratory in 1980. He was Assistant Director of the Central Forensic
Laboratory in 1956. Dr. Chowdhuri made valuable contributions to the scientific
investigation of many sensational criminal cases, namely, Belrani Dutta murder
case in Kolkata, Din Dayal Upadhyay case of Varanasi, Surupa Guha murder cases
and Sain Bari murder cases among many others. He had worked with Dr. HJ Walls,
ex-director of New Scotland Yard laboratory. He also published his book
‘Biological stains in Forensic Science’. He also has credits for many research
papers which got published in international and national journals.
Dr. Rukmani
Krishnamurthy:
Famously known as the first female forensic scientist of india, Dr. Rukmani Krishnamurthy is also the chairperson and CEO of Helik Advisory Ltd. Her first on scene case (Matunga train fire,1976) was the shining era when she discovered half burnt plastic containers and kerosene as the burning element. She secured the top spot in the field at Global levels, and is the author of more than 172 research papers and research review paper. She created 6 world class forensics lab all around India, namely in Nasik, Nagpur, Pune, Mumbai, Aurangabad, and Amravati. Some famous cases she worked on were: 1993 Mumbai Bomb Blast, the famous Telgi scams.
Dr. J. M. Vyas :
He is an Indian
academic and forensic scientist who serves as a vice chancellor of National
Forensic Sciences University, Gandhinagar since 1st October, 2020. Vyas studied
Master of Science, Ph.D. and LLB. Dr. J.M. Vyas is the founding Vice Chancellor
of a unique and highly specialized, National Forensic Sciences University
(NFSU), Gandhinagar which has been recognized as an Institution of National
Importance by the Government of India. He was awarded the Padma Shri by
the Government of India in 2022 for his contribution in field of forensic
science and engineering. Under his guidance, National Forensic Sciences
University Gandhinagar has signed many MoUs with GCTC and Think Tank, Peninsula
Foundation and Adani group on 2nd March 2022.
B. R. Sharma:
A consultant to
numerous Universities, educational boards, banks, insurance companies,
government/semi-government/private organizations and individuals, including
courts and police departments, Dr Sharma has over four decades of experience
dealing with various aspects of Forensic Ballistics including field, laboratory
and court work. His services are sought across the country and even abroad. He
has done extensive research work and has more than 100 articles on Forensics
including Forensic Ballistics published both in Indian as well as foreign
journals. Forensic Ballistics has been his most favourite field from the very
day he joined the Forensic fraternity. He has literally examined thousands of
Forensic Ballistics cases and appeared as an expert witness thereof in all
categories of courts.
Dr.
Yusuf Matcheswalla:
He is a
psychiatrist who has been active in the field of forensic science and
psychiatry (mostly) in the past 28 years. His area of practice is mental
disorder treatment. He is the Honorary Professor and Honorary Psychiatrist at
J. J. Hospital and imparts a lot of knowledge related to mental health by
creating organisations or self-help groups for people who are having addictions
or mental health issues. He was one of the witnesses in the Sheena Bora Murder
Case, where he especially testified for Mikhail Bora, son of Indrani Mukherjee,
and was eventually cross-examined for the same.
References:
- www.millenniumpost.in
- https://en.m.wikipedia.org
- https://www.freepressjournal.in/
- https://www.quora.com/Who-is-Dr-Rukmani-Krishnamurthy-and-what-is-her-contribution-to-forensic-science-in-India
- https://www.indianjournals.com/ijor.aspx?target=ijor:jiafm&volume=29&issue=4&article=011
- https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mukesh-Sharma-14/publication/271102092_Forensic_Study_of_Indian_Toxicological_Plants_as_Botanical_Weapon_BW_A_Review/links/5e8ee052a6fdcca7890205fb/Forensic-Study-of-Indian-Toxicological-Plants-as-Botanical-Weapon-BW-A-Review.pdf
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Chanakya
- https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/sheena-bora-murder-case-mikhail-was-treated-for-cannabis-induced-psychosis-doctor-tells-court/story-LTZ3LmNoubuDXl5wx6cCGO.html
- https://lawbookshop.net/forensic-science-criminal-investigation-trials-b-r-sharma.html
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