DNA Technology bill withdrawn from Lok Sabha

The government withdrew the DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019 from Lok Sabha. Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Monday withdrew the Bill. The minister explained that since most of the Clauses of the "The DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill" have broadly been covered in “The Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022” which was brought by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the decision has been taken by the Government to withdraw "The DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019". The Bill has been formulated recognizing the need for regulation of the use and application of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) technology, for establishing identity of missing persons, victims, offenders, under trials and unknown deceased persons.

The purpose of this Bill is to expand the application of DNA-based forensic technologies to support and strengthen the justice delivery system of the country. The utility of DNA based technologies for solving crimes, and to identify missing persons, is well recognized across the world. By providing for the mandatory accreditation and regulation of DNA laboratories, the Bill seeks to ensure that with the proposed expanded use of this technology in this country, there is also the assurance that the DNA test results are reliable, and furthermore that the data remain protected from misuse or abuse in terms of the privacy rights of our citizens.

The Bill was first introduced and passed in Lok Sabha in January 2019 but it lapsed as it could not be passed in Rajya Sabha due to objections from opposition parties. The government again passed the bill in Lok Sabha in July 2019 and it was sent to a standing committee.  The DNA Technology Bill was introduced in 2019 with the aim of regulating the use and application of DNA technology for various purposes, including criminal investigations, civil matters, and research. The bill sought to establish a National DNA Data Bank and Regional DNA Data Banks to maintain DNA profiles of individuals and facilitate forensic investigations.