Punjab Has Forensic Experts in Only 4 of 23 Districts

Punjab's medico-legal system is severely understaffed, with forensic experts posted in only four of 23 districts, leaving 19 without dedicated specialists, departmental data show. In those districts, surgeons and other specialists perform post-mortems after outpatient duties, straining hospital services. Ludhiana's two sanctioned forensic posts have stayed vacant since transfers in 2024 and 2025, even as its civil hospital handles 30-40 medico-legal cases daily.