The Hindu : Keep DNA profile of criminals, police told

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 20, 2004

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Keep DNA profile of criminals, police told

CHANDIGARH, FEB. 19. The Punjab and Haryana High Court has recommended the maintenance of DNA profile of criminals, including their blood group by the police in Punjab, Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigrah.

The recommendations were made on Tuesday by a Division Bench of Justices Amar Dutt and K. S. Grewal while dealing with a case where non-bailable warrants could not be issued against one accused as he remained untraced in the absence of any record of his physical identification.

The recommendations were sent to the Director Generals of Police of Punjab, Haryana and the Inspector General of Chandigarh besides the respective home secretaries.

Justice Amar Dutt said it was shocking to find out that in the 21st century, the only record which was being maintained by the law enforcing agencies, of the persons who at some point of time show propensity to violate the law, was the record of finger prints prepared once the accused was convicted and put in prison for undergoing the sentence. ``Apart from this, maintenance of such records for identification of prisoners would also be necessary to deal with cases like the present one where after being acquitted of a crime the accused chooses to merge in the masses and in an attempt assume a new identity so as to place himself out of reach of the State machinery of law enforcement.

The court had earlier asked the Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh police to look into the maintaining of records regarding the identity of persons who transgress the law and to appear before the court when called upon.

On behalf of Punjab, the Ludhiana SSP, Narinder Pal Singh, submitted that as on date no photographs of the accused were taken. Photographs, he said, were only required of those accused whose history sheets were prepared and that search slips or finger prints of the accused were taken only after conviction.

The Haryana DIG (headquarters, human rights and litigation) informed the court that presently fingerprints were the only foolproof system of recording identification of criminals. These records were taken on conviction of the person. He also submitted that though DNA profile was the only method which could help 100 per cent identification, it was very costly and had not been fully developed at FSL,Madhuban. — UNI

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