Questioned Documents and Handwriting

HANDWRITING, SIGNATURE & FORENSIC DOCUMENT TEST

Certified, Experienced and Court Qualified Document and Handwriting Experts

Choosing the right document examiner or handwriting expert is important. The expert should be properly trained, experienced, and familiar with established forensic examination techniques and applicable legal requirements. If your matter involves a court, police authority, or other legal proceedings, selecting a qualified forensic document expert is an important part of obtaining an objective and professionally prepared expert opinion.

NABL ACCREDITATION CERTIFICATE: TC-17527

IFS Forensic Laboratory holds NABL accreditation under ISO/IEC 17025:2017 for the applicable accredited testing disciplines, including:

• Questioned Documents and Handwriting (QDH)
• Signature Examination
• Fingerprint Analysis

Accreditation Authority: National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), a constituent board of the Quality Council of India (QCI).

FORENSIC DOCUMENT AND HANDWRITING EXPERT OPINION:

Expert opinion relating to handwriting, signatures, questioned documents, fingerprints, and other forensic evidence may be considered by courts and other legal authorities, subject to applicable law and the facts and circumstances of each case.

A questioned signature or handwriting can be examined by comparing it with suitable known or standard specimens to determine whether the questioned writing is consistent with the writing of a particular person.

Forensic Document Expert, Forensic Handwriting Analyst, Forensic Document Examiner and Handwriting Expert are distinct from a graphologist. Forensic document examination is concerned with the scientific examination of questioned documents, handwriting, signatures, alterations, and related evidence, whereas graphology generally concerns the interpretation of personality or character from handwriting.

Our opinions are based on established forensic science principles and questioned document examination methodologies, rather than graphological interpretation. The examination process is intended to provide an objective and scientifically reasoned assessment of the evidence examined. If you do not require the report for legal purposes, we also provide reports for personal purposes. However, these reports are shorter and more concise and generally do not include detailed enlargements or extensive forensic analysis. Such reports are intended for personal use only. However, we strongly recommend choosing our Legal Report, as it provides a detailed and in-depth forensic analysis of the documents, including relevant enlargements, comparisons, observations, and supporting findings. A Legal Report is specifically prepared for use in legal and court-related matters and can be useful in multiple ways, including assisting your advocate in understanding the forensic findings, supporting your legal arguments, identifying relevant facts and discrepancies, and providing a structured expert opinion that may assist the Court in appreciating the evidence. Therefore, if the report is intended to be used in any legal proceeding, court matter, dispute, investigation, or other formal legal purpose, we recommend opting for the Legal Report rather than the shorter Personal Use Report.

FORENSIC SCIENCE SERVICES:

We provide forensic examination and expert opinion services in matters involving questioned documents, handwriting, signatures, fingerprints and related evidence. Services may include:

• Questioned document and handwriting examination
• Signature examination and verification
• Examination of suspected forged signatures and documents
• Comparison of handwriting with known specimens
• Alteration and obliteration examination
• Examination of wills, deeds, agreements and contracts
• Examination of cheques and other financial documents
• Examination of anonymous and threatening letters
• Disguised handwriting examination
• Examination of disputed and suspected fraudulent documents
• Examination of typewritten documents and computer printouts
• Examination of papers and documents using specialised imaging techniques
• Infrared and ultraviolet examination, where applicable
• Examination of handwriting attributed to deceased persons
• Examination of thumb impressions and fingerprints
• Forensic imaging and forensic photography
• Expert consultation and forensic advisory services
• Expert testimony and assistance during cross examination, where required

Our forensic services have been provided to corporate and individual clients, including organisations in banking, insurance, information technology, education and other sectors.

LEGAL AND COURT RELATED SERVICES:

Expert opinions are provided in accordance with applicable legal provisions and established forensic examination practices. The admissibility, evidentiary value and weight of any expert opinion are determined by the competent court in accordance with applicable law.

Our organisation and experts have also been appointed or engaged in appropriate matters as Court Commissioners by courts, including matters involving local investigation and examination of evidence.

Expert opinions and forensic reports have been submitted in matters before various High Courts, tribunals, consumer forums/courts, police authorities, government departments and other legal authorities.

Client List: View Our Client List

PRIVATE FORENSIC SCIENCE LAB SERVICES:

Our examination and verification services can assist in answering questions such as:

• Is the questioned signature genuine or forged?
• Is the questioned handwriting consistent with the handwriting of a particular person?
• Has the document been altered, overwritten or obliterated?
• Were particular entries or writings made by the same person?
• Who may have written an anonymous letter?
• Has an agreement, will, bill, stamp paper or other document been altered?
• Are there indications of additions, substitutions or other alterations?
• What other significant forensic findings can be identified from the document?

CONFIDENTIALITY AND PRIVACY:

We are committed to maintaining the confidentiality and privacy of information and documents submitted by our clients, subject to applicable law and professional requirements.

Our forensic reports and expert opinions are prepared for consideration by the relevant legal authorities and courts, subject to applicable law, evidentiary requirements and the facts of each individual matter.

We accept cases directly from courts, police authorities, government departments, banks, public-sector organisations, corporates, private firms and individual clients. Individuals may directly submit documents for examination and may subsequently use the resulting report in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

HOW TO SUBMIT DOCUMENTS FOR FORENSIC EXAMINATION:

Questioned documents can be submitted to our experts and forensic laboratory through the following methods:

1. Direct Submission / By Hand: Documents may be submitted personally or through an authorised messenger at our office.
2. Post or Courier: Questioned documents may be sent by Registered Post, Speed Post, courier or another reliable delivery service to our office address.
3. Email: Scanned copies may be sent by email to contact@forensic.co.in
4. Secure Online Submission: Documents can also be submitted through our online document submission system: Secure Online Document Submission.

HOW WILL YOU RECEIVE THE FORENSIC EXAMINATION REPORT?

After completion of the forensic examination, the Forensic Examination Report / Expert Opinion may be dispatched by Speed Post, Registered Post, courier, messenger or delivered directly, depending on the circumstances of the case and the agreed method of delivery.

Where required by a competent court or legal authority, the expert may also appear for examination or cross-examination in accordance with the applicable legal process.

Documents may be submitted by post, courier or email where appropriate, allowing preliminary examination and communication without requiring an immediate personal visit. Original documents may be required depending on the nature and purpose of the examination.

RULES, GUIDELINES AND TERMS

Please refer to our Rules, Guidelines, Legal Disclosures, Terms and Conditions before submitting documents or engaging our services.

REFER TO OUR CLIENT LIST