DNA Technology Bill withdrawn from Lok Sabha

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CategoryPolity

Last Updated26/07/2023

Recently, the government withdrew the DNA Technology Bill, which was previously passed by Lok Sabha but had lapsed after not being passed in the Upper House.
The Bill has been withdrawn because much of it dealt with criminal proceedings but it had initially been drafted by the Science Ministry.

The Bill regulates the use of DNA technology for establishing the identity of persons in respect of matters listed in Schedule to the Bill
- such as for offences under the Indian Penal Code, 1860, for paternity suits, or to identify abandoned children.
It allows the government to create a DNA data bank for solving crimes, tracing missing persons, and identifying dead bodies.
It outlined collection of DNA samples of convicts, undertrials, victims, or relatives of missing persons, storage of these samples in a data bank, and access to various agencies.
It creates DNA Profiling Board (DPB) that will be the final authority to authorise creation of State-level DNA databanks, approve the methods of collection and analysis of DNA-technologies.
It makes accreditation and regulation mandatory for DNA laboratories.
It also provides for the removal of DNA profiles of suspects on filing of a police report or court order, and of undertrials on the basis of a court order.