Deepak Jain

In forensics, latent fingerprints are marks left at the scene of a crime which may not be immediately visible to the naked eye. To expose latent fingerprints, technicians use fingerprint powder, fuming and other techniques. Identifying latent fingerprints is an important part of evidence collection, and many technicians specialise in retrieving fingerprints from crime scenes and analysing them in the lab in order to assist law enforcement with apprehending criminals.

The hands and feet are naturally oily, due to the glands which secrete sweat — a mixture of water, salts and other trace compounds. The sweat adheres to the friction ridges of the finger, and when a finger is placed on a surface such as glass, plastic or wood, an impression known as a fingerprint is left behind. The natural oils of the body preserve the fingerprint, which is utterly distinct; no two humans have the same fingerprints. Sometimes latent fingerprints are made from substances other than sweat, such as blood, other body fluids, or paint.

When investigators arrive at a crime scene, one of the first things they do after photographing the entire scene is dust for latent fingerprints. Dusting ensures that no prints are missed, even if patent fingerprints — those readily visible to the naked eye — are evident. Specialised fingerprint powder is gently brushed over surfaces which may hold fingerprints to see if any appear. If latent fingerprints emerge after dusting, they are photographed and then carefully lifted with clear tape before being affixed to fingerprint cards. For difficult surfaces, another process known as fuming may be used. Fuming can be used for very old fingerprints, because it causes a chemical reaction with trace substances which may be left behind by a fingerprint, even if the sweat itself is gone.

A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical device with a set of keys which, when pressed, cause characters to be printed on a medium, usually paper. From their invention, typewriters were indispensable tools for many professional writers and in business offices. By the end of the 1980s, word processors and personal computers had largely replaced the tasks previously accomplished with typewriters. Typewriters, however, remain in use in various areas of the world.

Identifying the make and model of typewriters is a part of questioned document examination. Because of the tolerances of the mechanical parts, slight variation in the alignment of the letters and their uneven wear, each typewriter had its individual “signature” or “fingerprint”, allowing a typewritten document to be traced back to the typewriter it was produced on. The ribbon ink can also be analysed, particularly if a carbon ribbon was used.

A revenue stamp, tax stamp or fiscal stamp is a stamp used to collect taxes or fees. These are issued by governments, national and local, or by official bodies of various kinds. One of the earliest uses of revenue stamps was to pay court fees. Stamps were used in the Indian feudal states as early as 1797, almost 50 years before the first postal stamps. Their use became widespread in the 19th century, partly inspired by the success of the postage stamp and partly motivated by the desire to streamline government operations. The presence of a revenue stamp indicates that the item in question had already paid the necessary fees. Governments would enforce payment of the tax by making unstamped documents unenforceable in court. The tax would apply to contracts, tenancy agreements, wills and so on.

India Security Press is a unit of Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd., a wholly owned company of the Government of India. India Security Press, Nashik Road, is more than 80 years old and was set up by the British during colonial rule for printing court fee, fiscal, postal and non-postal stamps and postal stationery items, at Nashik Road in 1925. It is under the administrative control of the General Manager, India Security Press, who is the Head of Department and also Ex-Officio Controller of Stamps of India. The Central Stamp Depot, a part of India Security Press, stocks its products and distributes them to various organisations in accordance with the indents received.

A revenue stamp may contain security devices to prevent counterfeiting, which are changed regularly or at random with no fixed time interval, to prevent forgers from preparing fraudulent ante-dated documents.

From regular study over a long period, the writer has had success in establishing the probable date of circulation of a particular revenue stamp by the Government of India. However, this need not be in confirmation with the date of publication of that particular revenue stamp.

Fingerprint cards are used to display the fingerprints that are taken. These cards are used in various departments and applications. For instance, some employers require fingerprints on these cards as part of a job application. Fingerprinting ink needs to be used with normal fingerprint cards.

Ink is a liquid containing various pigments and/or dyes used for colouring a surface to produce an image, text or design. Ink is used for drawing and writing with a pen, brush or quill. Thicker inks, in paste form, are used extensively in letterpress and lithographic printing. Ink is a complex medium composed of solvents, pigments, dyes, resins, lubricants, solubilisers, surfactants, particulate matter, fluorescers and other materials. The components of inks serve many purposes: the ink’s carrier, colorants and other additives are used to control flow and thickness of the ink and its appearance when dry.

Penmanship or handwriting is the art of writing with the hand and a writing instrument, wherein the styles of handwriting are called scripts. There are various characteristics which describe a particular handwriting, and each individual normally has his own handwriting characteristics, which persist in normal circumstances throughout his life — of course within the range of ‘normal variation’.

Some of the main handwriting characteristics are: speed, slant, spacing, shading, size, style, pen position, pen lifts, pen pressure, pictorial effect, proportion of letters, movement, alignment, line quality and formation of letters — all of which are examined in the identification of handwriting. Of course, not all of these characteristics may be relevant in every case of handwriting identification; the value of these characteristics depends on each case independently. Normally signatures should be compared with signatures and writings should be compared with writings. However, if a signature is in a writing style, then in such cases the signature can be compared with the writing.

• Every individual handwriting is always individual to that person.
• Every individual handwriting undergoes natural variation with the passage of time.
• The range of natural variation depends on the person.
• A person cannot make two signatures mathematically identical or exactly alike. If two signatures are found to superimpose over each other, then one or both of them could be traced forgeries.
• Similarly, a person cannot write better than his normal skill.
• The disputed and the comparative writings should always be in the same script.

• Questioned document examination and appearance for evidence as a witness, with demonstration before Hon’ble Courts, tribunals and domestic/departmental enquiries.
• Forensic photography of documents in courts.
• Preparation, conducting and assisting attorneys, supported by the comments of international authors and court rulings.
• Pre-trial and post-trial discussions and preparation of technical arguments on the subject for attorneys, for smooth technical arguments in the courts.
• Lifting, developing and photography of chance/latent fingerprints from a crime scene or other objects.
• Obtaining and attesting specimen fingerprints of persons who propose to emigrate abroad or for visa purposes.
• Opinions on disputed handwriting and signatures in any language, fingerprints, fraudulent additions and alterations, forgeries and anonymous letters.
• Consultation on forensic questioned documents and preparation of cross-examinations to be conducted by lawyers on the expert witness of the opposite party.
• Dating of revenue stamps affixed on a receipt, to establish the actual date of preparation or execution of the document.
• Analysis of inks and their identification.
• Identification of typewriting.