The History of Forensic Science in India by Saumitra Basu (review)

"Forensic science," the application of science for purposes of law and justice, entails the uses of biology, physics, chemistry, and general scientific principles and methods to solve legal problems. Thus, legal setup and requirements play a crucial role in the evolution of forensic science. In India, argues Saumitra Basu in The History of Forensic Science in India, the rise, growth, and development of forensic science can be located in the colonial period (p. 19). The British Raj not only drastically altered the precolonial concept of crime and criminal justice but also revolutionized the nature and magnitude of criminal investigation. Extensive use of forensic science in criminal jurisprudence was part and parcel of this phenomenon.

However, instead of beginning his narrative directly in the colonial period, the author starts with a discussion of the beginning of crime identification in different civilizations. Thus, in the first chapter, he begins with the notion of crime and punishment and associated investigations in ancient India with special attention focused on toxicology (pp. 27–56). Here, Basu's primary focus is on agada tantra, the branch of Ayurveda (a traditional Indian healing system) that deals with various kinds of toxins, ways to clean them out of the body, and antidotes for particular poisons. Similarly, when discussing crime and justice in ancient India, the prime attention is on the Arthashastra, a comprehensive administrative manual. However interesting these discussions are, they do not connect well with the central theme of the book, as forensic science was not used in ancient India (p. 45). Basu does, however, believe that crime was detected according to scientific observation and analysis, as delineated in agada tantra and the Arthashastra. This discussion seems to reveal the author's love for India's ancient past more than historical rigor.

This assessment also applies to the second chapter, which looks at long-term developments in criminal investigation in West Asia, China, Rome, Egypt, England, America, and Latin America. In fact, investigation of any crime by its very nature includes the application of some scientific methods to reach any conclusion. However, it should not be treated as a precursor of forensic science, which is very much a modern discipline, even though the word "forensic" can be traced to the Latin word forum, or the public square where cases were heard and debated based on certain evidence. This is like arguing for the premodern presence of biotechnology by taking examples of past practices of the fermentation of grains to produce beer.

From chapter 3 onward, the author deals with the development of forensic science in colonial India. The colonial rulers were very proud of the introduction of the "rule of law" in India. The evolution of criminal justice in colonial India as a form of "governmentality" is discussed at length in the book (pp. 87–107). These legal reforms facilitated the growth of forensic science in India. Starting from the mid-nineteenth century, institutions were established in different parts of India to ensure scientific certainty in criminal investigations and subsequent trials at courts. It began with the use of mug shots, police photographs of detained persons. Then came the Chemical Examiners' Laboratories, Anthropometric Bureau, Finger Print Bureau, Explosive Department, Handwriting Department, and several others (ch. 4).

Chapter 5 discusses fingerprinting as a unique case study of forensic practice. William Herschel, a British civil servant in India, was the first to advocate the use of fingerprinting in the identification of criminal suspects. Very soon this technique received official recognition. This led to the establishment of the world's first-ever fingerprint agency, in 1897 in Calcutta. Here Edward Richard Henry, the inspector-general of police, Lower Bengal, with the able assistance of two Indian sub-inspectors—namely, Azizul Haque and Hem Chandra Bose—developed a system of classification of fingerprints that is well documented by the author.

This book is a novel attempt to explore the colonial origin of forensic science in India along with the role played by nonmedical...