T'gana Forensic Lab fire: Authorities deny loss of evidence in key cases
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Hyderabad: Police have launched an investigation into the fire incident at the Telangana Police Forensic Science Laboratory, even as authorities on Sunday denied any loss of evidence linked to key cases, including one registered against Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy in the past.
The main opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi raised suspicions that digital evidence related to the 2015 ‘note-for-vote’ case, allegedly involving the Chief Minister, may have been destroyed in the fire that broke out on Saturday.
BRS working president K. T. Rama Rao also alleged a “cover-up” in the absence of evidence in what he described as “cooked-up political cases”, including the phone tapping case.
Forensic Science Laboratory Director Shikha Goel told the media that a complaint had been lodged with the local police and that an investigation was underway to determine the cause of the fire.
The IPS officer said the fire broke out at around 10.08 a.m. on Saturday and that staff responded promptly by using fire extinguishers. All technical equipment at the FSL was immediately disconnected, and fire personnel brought the blaze under control by 1.30 p.m.
She said the fire caused some damage to facilities on the first floor of the FSL building, including the computer forensics laboratory, library and human resource development room.
According to Goel, officials are currently assessing the extent of the damage, and further details will be shared once the assessment is completed.
She dismissed what she termed “wild and preposterous allegations and speculation” regarding the cause of the fire and the extent of damage to property at the FSL. She also rejected unverified claims circulating in sections of the media and on social media about the cause of the fire and the alleged loss of property linked to two cases.
The FSL director said a large portion of the case property had been retrieved and secured properly.
She clarified that evidence related to important cases had already been submitted to the respective courts.
Addressing allegations of damage to property linked to a 2015 Anti-Corruption Bureau case, Goel said the FSL had received 16 material objects in that case and had submitted its reports to the ACB court in 2015 itself. “All 16 material objects were returned to the honourable court, and no material relating to this case was available at the FSL yesterday,” she said.
On the phone tapping case, Goel said the FSL had received 136 material objects between March 2024 and January 2026. Of these, all except seven items have already been examined and reports submitted to the forwarding authority.
She added that the remaining seven material objects are currently under examination and that reports are under preparation, while confirming that all material objects at the FSL were safely retrieved.
With IANS inputs
