New Delhi, March 24 The Delhi government has proposed to set up a new Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (RFSL) at Sheikh Sarai with an outlay of Rs 2 crore this year, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Tuesday.
Presenting the 2026-27 Budget, Gupta said the move is aimed at improving forensic infrastructure and ensuring the timely investigation of criminal cases in the city.
Currently, Delhi has only one forensic science laboratory in Rohini, which is burdened with a heavy caseload.
Gupta said that in many cases, further legal proceedings get stalled due to delays in forensic reports. "Once an FIR is registered, the process often gets held up as reports are not received on time," she said.
The Chief Minister said that the government will prioritize improving the forensic system so that cases can be resolved more efficiently.
Meanwhile, officials at the Rohini forensic laboratory said that operations have improved in recent months with better resources.
"Earlier, we were handling around 1,200 cases per month. Over the past five months, after a new in-charge took over, the situation has improved, and we are now reporting more than 3,200 cases," an official said.
The official attributed the improvement to increased manpower and upgraded equipment. "We now have more staff and better machinery, which has helped us speed up processing," he added.
The Chief Minister also referred to the rollout of six mobile forensic laboratories last year, aimed at improving on-ground evidence collection and speeding up investigations.
"Funds have been provided this year to open a new forensic science lab so that no case remains pending and the entire system is strengthened," Gupta said.
In addition, she said that work on a high-security jail in Narela, which has already begun, will be taken forward with support from the Centre.