Delhi’s Sheikh Sarai forensic lab gets two-year construction deadline

Delhi has approved a ₹151.81 crore regional forensic science laboratory in Sheikh Sarai, with the Public Works Department given two years to complete construction.

Delhi’s expenditure finance committee, chaired by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, approved the project for a 6,300-square-metre site with 18,300 square metres of built-up space. The facility is planned to serve South, Southeast and Central Delhi.

The laboratory will work alongside the existing Rohini forensic laboratory, which supports police investigations, crime-scene examinations and reconstruction. Home Minister Ashish Sood said Rohini’s pending caseload fell from 27,585 in June 2025 to 7,178 on July 31, 2026. He said the laboratory disposed of 3,49,519 exhibits over the past year.

The Sheikh Sarai unit is planned as an integrated facility for specialised scientific investigation. Gupta said the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam have increased the need for forensic work in criminal cases.