About DNA profiling Bill:
Human DNA Profiling Bill is a proposed legislation. The bill will allow the government to establish a National DNA Data Bank and a DNA Profiling Board, and use the data for various specified forensic purposes.
The draft bill was prepared by the Department of Biotechnology.
will collect data from offenders, suspects, missing persons, unidentified dead bodies and volunteers.
Human DNA Profiling Bill is a proposed legislation. The bill will allow the government to establish a National DNA Data Bank and a DNA Profiling Board, and use the data for various specified forensic purposes.
The draft bill was prepared by the Department of Biotechnology.
will collect data from offenders, suspects, missing persons, unidentified dead bodies and volunteers.
National DNA Data Bank:
It will profile and store DNA data in criminal cases like homicide, sexual assault, adultery and other crimes. The data will be restricted and will be available only to the accused or the suspect.
A person facing imprisonment or death sentence can send a request for DNA profiling of related evidence to the court that convicted him.
A person facing imprisonment or death sentence can send a request for DNA profiling of related evidence to the court that convicted him.
A. P. Shah committee report suggestions:
In 2012, an expert committee headed by Ajit Prakash Shah.
It said that there should be safeguards to prevent illegal collection and use of DNA data. There should be also safeguards to prevent the proposed body from misusing them.
The report also suggested that there should a mechanism using which citizens can appeal against the retention of data.
There should also be a mechanism of appeal under which citizens under trial can request a second sample to be taken. The samples must be taken after consent in case of victims and suspects.
However, samples can also be taken from crime scenes.
It said that there should be safeguards to prevent illegal collection and use of DNA data. There should be also safeguards to prevent the proposed body from misusing them.
The report also suggested that there should a mechanism using which citizens can appeal against the retention of data.
There should also be a mechanism of appeal under which citizens under trial can request a second sample to be taken. The samples must be taken after consent in case of victims and suspects.
However, samples can also be taken from crime scenes.
Privacy Concerns involved:
According to the Bill, the Data Bank will store DNA profiles received from different crime scenes, missing persons, unknown deceased persons etc. The data will be shared with enforcement agencies within the country as well as abroad, upon request. So possibilities of leakage and misuse exist. Technically it is possible for the data to be used for nonforensic
purposes.
Ethically also there could be false matches, human error and crosscontamination during analysis. It is also doubtful if such a database can boost crime detection rates, going by experience of countries that have similar databases.
The UID database already has biometric information for most Indians. If any government in future decides to link the UID database with the DNA database, it would place in the hands of the government and its agencies all personal details about millions of citizens.
purposes.
Ethically also there could be false matches, human error and crosscontamination during analysis. It is also doubtful if such a database can boost crime detection rates, going by experience of countries that have similar databases.
The UID database already has biometric information for most Indians. If any government in future decides to link the UID database with the DNA database, it would place in the hands of the government and its agencies all personal details about millions of citizens.
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