167FORENSIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THE EFFECT OF SEDATIVES ON THE LIFE CYCLE OF CALLIPHORIDAE AND SACROPHAGIDAEForensic entomology is a term applied to the use of entomological (insect) evidence in the court of law. The insects provide an accurate information regarding the time since death or Post Mortem Interval (PMI). Various insect groups populate a cadaver in succession. Crime scene cadavers are often found with toxic substances either ingested to commit suicide or administered to the person causing death. These toxic substances in or on the cadavers can be found and the feeding larvae will have an altered rate of development. This study involves the effect of the toxins present in the cadaver affecting the developmental stages of two necrophagus species of flies viz. (Calliphoridae, Sacrophagidae). The sedatives chosen for the study were Clonazepam and Diazepam as they are commonly used in the act of committing suicide. Larvae were fed on liver spiked with various concentrations of the drugs and a comparison was made with the control samples (having no drugs). Changes were observed in duration of metamorphosis and emergence. This time variation indicates a need to factor in a correction in establishing PMI.deepikabhandari2910@gmail.comResearch512015Forensic Entomology,PMI,Sedatives,MetamorphosisDeepika Bhandari,Deepak Kaldhone,Swati WavhalAssistant Professor (Forensic Science), Institute of Forensic Science, Mumbai-400032, India.,Assistant Professor (Forensic Science), Institute of Forensic Science, Mumbai-400032, India., Director, Institute of Forensic Science, Mumbai-400032, India.