Why is DNA evidence in India often not reliable?

Recently, the Supreme Court of India issued guidelines with regard to DNA samples in criminal cases. These guidelines, issued to preserve the integrity of such samples, highlighted the need for chain of custody documentation as well as for proper procedures to be put in place for the collection, packaging of transportation of such samples. DNA samples can play a tremendously important role in criminal investigations, but in several cases, the evidence has been rejected by the court due to quality control and procedural issues. How is DNA evidence collected and analysed in India? How do our forensic labs work and what are the gaps that need to be plugged to make such evidence reliable and error-free? Guest: Shreya Rastogi, Director of Death Penalty Litigation and Forensics, The Square Circle Clinic, NALSAR University of Law, Delhi. Host: Zubeda Hamid Edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices