Patna: Patna University (PU) is likely to start a full-fledged postgraduate course in forensic science from the academic session 2026-27. All necessary arrangements for starting the course have been completed.PU vice-chancellor Ajay Kumar Singh said following a proposal received from the state home department, the university prepared the course curriculum and detailed syllabus for postgraduate teaching and got it approved by its academic council. The course will be conducted on the first floor of the newly constructed Central Research Facility Centre at the Patna Science College campus, he said.Ajay added the draft admission ordinance and examination regulations of the four-semester programme have been forwarded to the Bihar State Higher Education Council and Lok Bhawan for approval.
The proposal has also been sent to the state govt for necessary clearance.The course will begin with an intake of 30 students, and laboratory facilities will be developed at the site. Teaching will commence once approval is received from the competent authorities, Ajay said.The demand for trained manpower in forensic science has been rising with increasingly sophisticated crimes, but the state lacks adequate experts.
At present, the subject is not taught in any institution in Bihar.PU physics department teacher Akhilesh Gupta said, “Forensic science is that branch of science that uses scientific methods to investigate or discover any source of evidence in crimes. It uses tools and techniques of natural science in criminal justice for recognition, identification, individualisation and evaluation of physical evidence.” He added the field covers areas such as biology, chemistry, physics, psychology and social sciences.Akhilesh further said forensic science is used in cases of rape, accidents, missing persons, kidnapping, murder, fraud, suicide and forgery. It helps determine the time and location of a crime and the means used. Specialists inspect crime scenes to gather fingerprints and other evidence, while cybercrime investigations also rely on forensic techniques, he added.
