Lok Sabha gives agree to DNA bill

New Delhi, Jan 8 The Bill that provides for regulation of use and application of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) technology innovation for establishing the identity of certain classifications of persons, including offenders, victims, suspects and undertrials was passed in Lok Sabha Wednesday.

The DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2018 manages the use the technology to set up the character of people in regard of criminal issues recorded and common issues, for example, parentage disputes, emigration or immigration, and transplantation of human organs.

Replying to the debate, Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan said the DNA testing is being done on people containing a minute for each centage of less than one per cent.

On worries of members on the misuse of the Bill, the minister said the misuse can happen of anything at any level.

Indeed, even the blood test gathered by the clinical laboratories has the potential of misuse.

Terming it a comprehensive Bill, he said it has taken a long duration of 14-15 years to bring this bill to this stage.

The Bill accommodates foundation of a National DNA Data Bank and Regional DNA Data Banks.

Every Data Bank will maintain the indices including crime scene index, suspects' or undertrials' index and offenders' index.

The Bill also provides looking for assent of the person when DNA profiling is used in criminal investigations and identifying missing persons.

However, consent requirements have not been determined if there should arise an occurrence of DNA profiling for common issues.

Participating in the debate on the Bill Sanjay Jaiswal (BJP) said that future of the world is on the DNA Technology.

Kalyan Banerjee (TMC) was of the view that the Bill was very good for the criminal justice system, civil justice system and more so for the people of the country.

He also tried to know that if any investigative agency which is gathering the DNA manhandles the power, what steps ought to be taken against that person under the law.

N K Premachandran (RSP) raised worries about the Bill which incorporates appropriate to security.

He was of the view that some legislature was required with the goal that the DNA profile taken from the people was not misused.

Premachandran also said that the Bill ought to be sent to a Parliamentary Standing Committee.