Punjab government centralizes forensic services under political control

The Punjab government has dissolved the Punjab Forensic Science Agency and created a new body, the Punjab Forensic Science Authority, which will be directly controlled by the chief minister. This change aims to centralize forensic services under political oversight. The new authority will be staffed mainly by bureaucrats, and the requirement for the director general to be a forensic expert has been removed. The director general will now serve at the chief minister's discretion, differing from the previous law that allowed removal only for misconduct. The new law introduces majority voting for decisions, with most members appointed by the provincial government. Critics express concerns about potential politicization and the impact on forensic independence, as the authority's structure favors government officials over independent experts.