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Rediff.com  » News » Scientific tests cost CBI in Aarushi case

Scientific tests cost CBI in Aarushi case

By Vicky Nanjappa in Bengaluru
July 15, 2008 19:05 IST
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The Central Bureau of Investigation has finally managed to crack the Noida murder case.  Although the CBI has received vital information through the scientific tests conducted on the various suspects, the agency will take some time to put together the evidence and submit it for the trial.

Arun Kumar, joint director of the investigating agency, recently admitted during a media conference that a series of tests had been conducted on Rajkumar, Dr Rajesh Talwar, Krishna and Vijay Mandal at the Forensic Sciences Laboratories in Mumbai and Ahmedabad. All the tests conducted at these laboratories had remained inconclusive, he told the media.

The CBI was hoping for a breakthrough during the tests conducted on Rajkumar. However, the Brain Electronic Oscillation Signature tests conducted on him failed.

Arun Kumar said that the tests at Ahmedabad were unsatisfactory and Rajkumar did not even slip into a trance, which is an essential condition to conduct a narco analysis test.

Rajkumar gave various confusing statements to the police, which added to the prevailing uncertainty in the case. The CBI had no choice but to continue seeking extension of Dr Talwar's remand.

Arun Kumar also said that the tests initially conducted on Krishna at Mumbai did not yield any result and hence they had to take him to Bengaluru for more tests.
 
The CBI had to cough up a considerable amount of money to conduct the tests. The agency had to pay Rs 40,000 for each test, except the tests in Bengaluru. The FSL in Bengaluru, which used to conduct the tests for a nominal Rs 200, increased the fee to Rs 2,000 recently, following a directive by the Karnataka government.
 
The FSL at Ahmedabad, which conducts the Brain Electrical Oscillation, has drawn severe criticism from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. A MHA letter states that the tests carried out at the Ahmedabad FSL shows that there has been a 300 per cent error when the tests were conducted.

According to sources, the Brain Electrical Oscillation test, which was developed by a Bengaluru based scientist, has proven to be erroneous and inconclusive.

A committee appointed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs visited the laboratory at Ahmedabad recently and found that the test was full of errors.

The report submitted by the MHA also recommends that the test should not be conducted and used for forensic investigations. In spite of the MHA's recommendations, the CBI subjected Rajkumar to this test and the FSL continues to use this method.

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Vicky Nanjappa in Bengaluru