- Organization
- The Handwriting and Photographic Bureau renders expert advice to Police agencies, Courts and State Govt. Departments through examination of handwriting, signatures and other related problems of disputed documents.
- The first bureau for expert examination of handwriting was opened in the State C.I.D.. of Pune in the erstwhile Bombay State vide GR HD No. 606/4 dt. 31/3/1939. The bureaux at Mumbai and Nagpur were created vide GR HD No. CID/2256/63738-V dt. 16/04/1958. The bureau at Aurangabad was created vide GRHD No. FPB/2413/I-VIII-P, dated 19/04/1976.
- A photographic unit was also attached to these bureaux in the year 1948, which was expanded vide GRs of the year 1958 and 1976 giving rise to four units at Pune, Mumbai, Nagpur and Aurangabad.
- Staff
Mumbai unit attends the work of Handwriting cases of Brihan Mumbai, Nagpur unit attends cases of Vidharbha region. Aurangabad unit attends cases of Marathwada region. The Handwriting section of Pune attends cases from the remaining parts of the State.Chief State Examiner of Documents,Pune Chief Expert of the State Government in matters relating to Handwriting and Other questioned documents. Head of Handwriting and photographic bureaux. Responsible for the General Management, supervision, Maintenance of discipline and efficient working of all the Bureaux in the state. Addl. Chief State Examiner of Documents, Mumbai Head of the Regional Unit of Mumbai, responsible for General Management. State Examiner of Documents Pune, Aurangabad,Nagpur Head of Regional Units at Nagpur and Aurangabad, responsible for General Management. Asstt. State Examiner of Documents, Pune, Mumbai, Nagpur, Aurangabad Examiner of questioned Documents at Pune, Mumbai, Nagpur, Aurangabad. - Nature of Work
The Examiners of Documents are required to examine Questioned Documents in connection with Identification of Handwriting and Detection of Forgeries including problems of the following nature :-
1. Questioned signatures.
2. Fraudulent alterations.
3. Genuine document erroneously or fraudulently altered.
4. Anonymous letters for their authorship.
5. Authorship of superscriptions.
6. Sequence of writings.
7. Mechanical and Chemical erasures.
8. Identification of typewriting, printed material.
9. Ascertaining genuineness of Rubber Stamp impressions.
10. Threatening Letters, suicidal notes, Chits found at Scene of Crime.
The most common disputed documents are indicated above and they may be in the form of drafts, orders, contracts, agreements, assignments, wills, deeds and the like. Tickets of different kind, rare stamps, valuable manuscripts, certificates, letters of introduction or recommendation, degrees and diplomas, court papers, autographs, letters from or signed by famous personalities etc. - Examination of Questioned Documents
Questioned documents are examined carefully in original by the examiner of documents with the help of magnifying apparatus under different magnification and with the help of different lighting conditions such as direct light, oblique light, transmitted light and also ultra violet light. They are examined under stereoscopic microscope, Video Spectral Comparator, Poliview. Examination of documents is aided by enlarged photographs which are prepared in photographic sections. Photographs obtained with special technique by making use of microscope, ultra violet rays are also used in examination of certain types of Questioned documents. Expert opinion based on such examination is furnished to the Officers or agencies referring cases to the state C.I.D.. - Evidence of Examiner of Documents
Examiner of Documents gives evidence in the Court whenever called upon to do so in order to prove their findings on Questioned documents. - Evidence of Examiners of Documents.
Examiners of Documents will give evidence in the court whenever called upon to do so, in order to prove their findings on questioned documents. For the purpose they will undertake tours whenever necessary. The summonses from courts will be sent to the Additional Director General of Police, C.I.D. (Crime) M.S. Pune well in advance giving details of the expert opinion required. - Assistance to Prosecutors.
In those cases in which the Examiners of Documents are summoned to give expert evidence, they will assist the Prosecutors or Advocates in charge of the cases, in the cross-examination of expert witnesses giving evidence on the opposite side. In all such cases the prior approval of the Addl. Director General of Police, C.I.D. (Crime) M.S., Pune will be taken. - Training.
The Chief State Examiner of Documents will impart training to the Assistant State Examiner of Documents newly appointed in the State. He will also impart training to officer trainees by other States. - Lectures.
The Chief State Examiner of Documents will deliver lectures to Sub-Inspectors under training form Maharashtra Police Academy, Nashik and other Police Training Schools in the State. - Inspection.
The Chief State Examiner of Documents will inspect the Handwriting and photographic Bureaux at Mumbai, Nagpur and Aurangabad once a year.
