Wildlife Forensic Labs With Outdated Equipment Render False-Positive Test Results On Shahtoosh Hair: PIL in Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court Tuesday issued notice on a plea seeking improved infrastructure in the forensic science laboratories that are engaged in wildlife forensics. The petition demands modern 'Scanning Electron Microscopic' technology and DNA testing procedures in the labs.A division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad has sought response from. "The sole basis of these prosecutions emanates from forensic reports that are issued by the forensic science laboratories using technologically obsolete methods, that erroneously conclude various exporters' consignments to be 'positive for Shahtoosh' guard hair'," the plea adds. Many exporters facing prosecutions, including the Petitioners, have countless experiences of conflicting results of the government's own forensic reports, it adds The plea further states that at present there are only two empanelled forensic science laboratories in Dehradun and Kolkata and both of which use Light Microscopy for examining consignments suspected to be 'shahtoosh'.