2-YEAR M.A. ( CRIMINAL LAW & FORENSIC SCIENCE)

(offered in collaboration with Truth Labs)

(Applicable from the batch admitted from the academic year 2021 – 2022)

About the Programme

Crime is as old as mankind, ad justice as old as civilised society. With the passage of time, the methods of crime and systems of justice have evolved. While yesteryears’ systems of justice were rather crude and barbarous, today’s legal system looks for “Evidence beyond reasonable doubt”.

Today in India and many other democratic nations, the judiciary requires convincing evidence to convict the suspect. Many a times it is difficult to produce eyewitnesses or oral evidence and in a few cases where such evidence is available, it is known to have many limitations and shortcoming. It is on account of lack of substantial evidence that about 90 percent of cases are ending up in acquittal. In order to avoid common man losing confidence in criminal justice system, it is imperative to seek ways and means to improve the credibility of the system, by adequately making use of the advances and advantages of modern Science and Technology.

Most crime leaves behind traces of ‘silent evidence’. Traces of materials known as physical evidence, found at the scene of crime act as potent clues that become the most eloquent witnesses. Thanks to the tremendous strides made in technology, today’s scientists have a wealth of technological gadgets and tools that can help us turn these clues into powerful witnesses. Today’s forensic scientists use the most sophisticated technological equipment to unravel the mysteries from even subatomic particles like dust in air or microbiological materials like DNA.

Anything to everything that is conspicuously absent or present in/on/near the victim/ suspect/ crime scene, surrounding areas, neighborhood, etc. and even dust, pollen, bloodstain, bullet, glass, paint, hair, ash, speaker’s voice, suspect’s image, culprits e-mail, perpetrators mobile SMS etc serve as ‘silent speakers’ of truth. These very materials can become valuable pieces of evidence in the hands of forensic scientists who seek truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Therefore the course is designed with a view to give a comprehensive overview about major criminal legislations with latest updates including newer crimes such as cyber crimes. The traditional knowledge of crime when it blends with the technology it would give the criminal justice administration a good impetus.

The course is designed to expose the candidates to the existing legislations in the area of crimes, contemporary and special legislations such as money laundering, cyber crimes, the comparative jurisprudence, emerging challenges to deal with the procedural issues in the criminal justice process etc. The course would also deal with various branches of forensic science such as toxicology, serology, DNA, fingerprinting, Digital Forensics and more significantly cyber investigation.

This course is structured for the professional needs of enforcement officials like police, criminal law practitioners, prosecutors, judges and Law Graduates.

Eligibility

a. Bachelor’s Degree or an equivalent Degree in any discipline from any recognized University; or

b. Candidates appearing for the final year examination of Graduation / Engineering are also eligible to apply.

c. Lateral Admission for the Advanced Diploma Candidates:

Candidates who have completed the One Year Advanced Diploma in Criminal Law & Forensic Science at NALSAR are also eligible for admission to the second year. In such cases, the candidates needs to surrender the Advanced Diploma in Criminal Law & Forensic Science Certificate awarded by NALSAR, after completion of the M.A. Programme, to be entitled for award of the Degree of M.A. (Criminal Law & Forensic Science) at NALSAR. The candidates should exercise this option within a maximum period of two years from the date of their admission to the Advanced Diploma.

The candidates enrolled for the Advanced Diploma Programme can enroll for the M.A. Programme within two years from the date of their admission, even though they have not completed the Advanced Diploma.

The lateral admission to the M.A. Programme will be offered only when the subjects and the syllabus offered for the First Year of M.A. Programme are similar to that of the subjects and the syllabus offered in the said Advanced Diploma Programme.

In any case, lateral admission will be offered subject to fulfilment of the eligibility criteria for the M.A. Programme.

Note: Candidates who enroll for the Advanced Diploma programme before the completion of their Graduation will not be eligible for lateral admission to 2^nd year M.A. Programme. To be clear, the candidates who have enrolled for the Advanced Diploma programme after completion of three years of their Integrated Degree Programme but before completion of the Graduation will not be eligible for lateral admission to the 2^nd year M.A. Programme, as their Advanced Diploma which will be considered as first year of M.A. will be done simultaneously with their graduation.

Admission Procedure

Direct Admission subject to fulfilment of the eligibility criteria.

Duration, Continuation and Termination

The duration of the programme is two years and the maximum period for completion of the programme is four years including the year of admission.

The maximum period for the candidates enrolled in the second year of M.A. Programme is two years including the year of admission to the second year M.A. Programme.

Every candidate admitted to the course shall pay the prescribed fees for the first year at the time of admission and the fee for the second year shall be paid at the beginning of the third semester. If a candidate is required to continue the course beyond the minimum duration because of his/her non-fulfillment of the prescribed requirements for the award of the M.A. Degree, he/she shall pay the Continuation Fee, as prescribed to continue their course after the minimum period.

The marks secured in the papers already appeared by the candidate shall be carried forward during the span of the eligibility for the programme.

After completion of the maximum period, if the candidate fails to fulfill all the requirements for the award of the M.A. Degree, the admission stands automatically cancelled. In such cases they need to enrol afresh for the programme.

Fee Structure

Course fee: Rs. 35,000/- p.a. (5% fee concession to the candidates belonging to SC / ST / PWD Category)

Course fee for Advanced Diploma Candidates : Rs. 40,000/- (5% fee concession to the candidates belonging to SC / ST / PWD Category)

• Repeat examination / Supplementary Examination fee : Rs.500/- per paper / project
• Continuation fee beyond the minimum duration of the course till the maximum period : Rs.5,000/- p.a.
• Re-evaluation Fee : Rs. 1,000/- per paper
• Boarding & Lodging charges at campus (subject to availability) during classes / exam will be extra as per the University Rules.
• Convocation fee will be charged separately as per the University Rules.

Note: If a candidate fails to submit the projects / assignments / case studies for the subjects offered in the relevant semester, then the candidate should pay the applicable repeat examination fee per subject for submission of the project / assignment / case study at a later date.

Note: The University reserves the right to revise the fee structure from time to time.

Course Structure

Subject Code	Subject	Marks	Credits
SEMESTER - I
1.1.1	Criminology and Restorative Justice	100	5
1.1.2	Criminal Law and Legislative under pinnings	100	5
1.1.3	Criminal Justice Administration and Process	100	5
SEMESTER - II
1.2.4	Introduction to Forensic Science & Forensic Physical Sciences	100	5
1.2.5	Forensic Chemical & General Science	100	5
1.2.6	Forensic Medicine, Biology & DNA	100	5
SEMESTER - III
2.3.7.	Technology and Law: Emerging Areas	100	5
2.3.8	Questioned Documents and Fingerprints	100	5
2.3.9	DNA Fingerprinting	100	5
SEMESTER - IV
2.4.10	Forensic Accounting	100	5
2.4.11	Forensic Medicine	100	5
2.4.12	Cyber Forensics	100	5
2.4.13	Dissertation (written: 150 marks + viva: 50 marks)	200	6

Conduct of the programme

The Master’s Programme will have four semesters. Each Semester will have Personal Contact Programme (PCP) sessions by the subject experts, followed by Online session where participants will work on the research projects / assignments / case studies and upload them on the dedicated web platform / submit them by email. The contact sessions for the Law subjects will be conducted by NALSAR and the sessions for the Forensic Science subjects will be conducted by Truth Labs. The candidates can contact / communicate through email with the subject experts for queries on the concerned subject. Relevant course material will be uploaded on the website and can be accessed through their login id. The Self Learning Materials (Reading Materials) printed copies will be sent to the enrolled candidates.

PCP sessions will be conducted for six days in the First & Second Semester; for seven days in the Third Semester and for four days in the Fourth Semester at Hyderabad by the subject experts. Suggested reference guidance would be provided at the contact sessions. Each subject shall consist of 15 teaching hours. The recorded videos of the classes will be uploaded on the dedicated website. Attendance at the PCP is compulsory and the candidate should have atleast 75% attendance in the PCP to appear for the end semester examination. The learners are also expected to put in at least 30 hours of study for each credit.

Case study analysis / projects / assignments will be part of the concerned subjects and will be discussed in onsite / online sessions. There will be one project / assignment / case study for each course. In total, a candidate must complete twelve projects /assignments / case studies by the end of the programme.

The website will be the main delivery system in terms of updating information on the subject. The access to the website will be deactivated after the completion of the minimum duration and will be revived on the payment of the continuation fee.

Academic Calendar (Tentative)

Admission Process From February to June every year

SEMESTER I & III

S.NO.	Name of the Activity	Tentative Months
		From	To
1	Distribution of course material	July	August
2	Personal Contact Programme	September	October
3	Submission of Assignments/projects/case study	September	November
4	Examinations	November	December
5	Declaration of Results	January	February
6	Repeat Examinations	February	March

SEMESTER II & IV

S.NO.	Name of the Activity	Tentative Months
		From	To
1	Distribution of course material	January	February
2	Personal Contact Programme	February	March
3	Submission of Assignments/projects/case study (Submission of Dissertation in case of IV Semester)	February April	April May
4	Examinations (Viva Voce Examination in case of IV Semester)	May	June
5	Declaration of Results	July	August
6	Repeat Examinations	August	September

Note : The PCP Sessions (classes) will be conducted in blended mode (online / physical) at NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad. However, the examinations will be conducted physically at Hyderabad only.

 

Evaluation Scheme & Award of Advanced Diploma / M.A. Degree

Each paper shall carry 100 marks. The distribution of marks shall be as follows:

Assignment(s) / Project / Case Study :	30 Marks
End Semester Examination :	70 Marks
Dissertation (200 Marks) Written Report :	150 Marks
Viva-Voce Examination :	50 Marks

NOTE: No candidate will be permitted to appear for the End Semester Examination unless he / she has attended 75% in the programme specific Personal Contact Programme.

Award of Grades

The performance of all the candidates in all subjects shall be evaluated on a 10 point scale with corresponding grade values as mentioned below:

Percentage of Marks	Grade	Grade Value
90 and above	O+ (Exceptionally Outstanding)	10
85 – 89	O (Outstanding)	9
80 – 84	E+	8.5
75 – 79	E (Excellent)	8
70-74	A++	7.5
65-69	A+	7
60-64	A	6.5
55-59	B+	6
50-54	B (Pass)	5.5
Below 50	F(Fail)	0

The result will be declared as ‘W-withheld’ for all the candidates who appear for the examination and fail to submit the projects / assignments / case studies. Even if a candidate secures the minimum required marks, i.e, 50 in the end semester examination and fails to submit projects/assignments/case studies, the result will be declared as ‘W-withheld’. In both the cases, the candidates are required to register for the repeat examination and pay the requisite fee for submission of the projects / assignments / case studies.

Calculation of CGPA

Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) is arrived at by dividing the sum of the products of Grade Values and the Credits in each subject by the total number of credits in all the subjects.

A candidate to be successful should obtain a minimum of 50% marks or the equivalent grade, i.e., B in every subject /Dissertation. A student who secures the minimum required 50% marks will not be declared passed until he/she submits the assignments/projects/case studies as prescribed. However, the candidate who fails to obtain the minimum grade (i.e., B) shall be given chance(s) to re-appear for the examination whenever the same is conducted till the completion of the maximum period, i.e., four years from the date of admission on payment of repeat / supplementary examination fee and the continuation fee as prescribed. Candidates failing to secure the minimum marks in the Dissertation shall re-submit the same. No candidate who has cleared the subject by securing 50 marks or above is allowed to re-appear in the examination for improving the marks / grade.

Rounding off and Award of Grace Marks

In case a candidate obtains fractional marks, the fraction will be rounded off to the nearest whole number.

The Course Coordinator with the approval of the Director, DDE may add FIVE grace marks in total for all the subjects in a semester to enable a candidate to pass the examination. The said provision will not be applicable in case of re-evaluation and/or for improvement of grade.

Provided that under no circumstances, a candidate shall be granted more than five grace marks in a semester to be distributed in all subjects.

Award of the Master’s Degree

A candidate to be eligible for the award of the Master’s Degree, i.e., M.A. (Criminal Law & Forensic Science) should submit all the assignments / projects / case studies and should secure 50% marks or ‘B’ grade in all the subjects including Dissertation obtaining atleast CGPA 5.50 out of 10.00.

A student admitted to the program has to complete all the prescribed requirements within a maximum period of four years from and including the year of admission in order to be eligible for the award of the Master’s Degree. However, the candidates enrolled in the second year of M.A. Programme has to complete all the prescribed requirements within a maximum period of two years from and including the year of admission to the second year M.A. Programme.

Award of the Advanced Diploma

If a candidate decides to ‘EXIT’ after completion of all the subjects of FIRST and SECOND SEMESTER, he/she will be eligible for award of Advanced Diploma in Criminal Law & Forensic Science. To be eligible for award of the Advanced Diploma in Criminal Law & Forensic Science, a candidate should submit all the assignments / projects / case studies and should secure 50% marks or ‘B’ grade in all the subjects offered in the First and Second Semester obtaining atleast CGPA of 5.50 out of 10.00. A candidate can exercise this option within a maximum period of two years from the date of admission.

After exercising the above option, the candidate will not be entitled to continue the Master’s Programme.

Procedure for Re-counting / Re-evaluation

The candidates desiring of re-evaluation have to apply in writing along with the re-evaluation fee within 15 days from the date of declaration of results. On the receipt of the request for re-evaluation, the paper would be sent to subject expert other than the evaluator and the results of the same will be communicated within 45 days. A change in the original score shall be made only when, upon re-evaluation, the change is FIVE marks or more. The Re-evaluation result is final and there will be no further appeal to the same.

No candidate who has cleared the subject by securing 50 marks or above is allowed to re-appear in the examination or apply for re-evaluation for improving marks / grade.

The recounting of the paper would be done without collecting any fee but on the written request to the Director, DDE by the candidate. The change, if any, shall be incorporated accordingly.

Misconduct Rules

The Vice-Chancellor on the report and recommendation of the Course Co-ordinator can cancel the registration of a candidate and also debar them from examinations and further enrolment if he or she is found to be indulging in abusive, unruly behavior with the faculty or staff of the University. Such behavior will also include abusive mails, phone calls or defamatory tweets / posts / blogs etc.

The NALSAR University Academic Mis-Conduct Regulations, as approved by the Executive Council of the University will apply suitably for the candidates enrolled for this programme.

Refund of Fee in case of withdrawal of admission

a) In case of withdrawal within 15 days from the closure of the admission, 10% of the course fee paid shall be retained by the University towards administrative charges;

b) In respect of candidates who withdraw their candidature after 15 days from the closure of admission, total course fee paid by the candidates shall be retained by the University.

c) All other fee other than course fee, once paid is non-refundable.

Note: The University reserves the right to modify the admission process, fee structure, course structure, course content, the evaluation scheme and other Rules from time to time.