Forensic Science and Scientific Measures for Criminal Identification in British India

Abstract

Like every civilized society, India also had a crime and criminal justice system since ancient times. Specifically after the 1857 rebellion, the British reformed the whole penal law and introduced forensic science for scientific certainty in the criminal justice system. The present paper attempts to understand the historical roots of forensic science in India with emphasis to explore the circumstances which prompted the British to initiate forensic science in India, perception of crime developed by the colonial rulers and finally the historical consequences of the development of forensic institutions in different parts of colonial India. Finally the study reveals that introduction of forensic science for crime investigation and institutionalization of crime came as a new colonial discourse.