GUWAHATI, Nov 21 - Demand for DNA parental testing is fast increasing in the State with the law enforcers and the judiciary putting their weight behind this method as it can address the biological lineage issue among the parties in dispute, especially in alleged rape-induced pregnancy or child birth.
Sources informed that of the total cases of DNA profiling in the records of the State Directorate of Forensic Library, Guwahati, nearly 7O per cent of them are those seeking to identify parental lineage, in the event of an alleged rape case leading to unwanted pregnancy or birth of a baby.
In the last few years, on an average, more than 100 such DNA parental tests are being conducted annually.
In the last two years, about 400-odd cases of DNA profiling was done, of which nearly 260 relates to cases under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with cases of rape. �In the corridor of law and justice, scientific evidence has its own place. In many cases of alleged rape, it has turned out to be a clinching piece of evidence based on which culprits have been identified and brought to book. In critical cases, DNA test is the go-to method for us,� said a senior Assam Police official while talking to The Assam Tribune.
Sources further divulged that there have also been instances in the State when DNA parental test is opted due to instability in the conjugal relationships and suspected infidelity.
