Police to collect biological samples from criminals under a bill introduced in the Rajya Sabha
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New Delhi: Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah moved a bill in Rajya Sabha Wednesday to grant the police the legal sanction to take samples from criminal suspects, convicts, and other people accused of crime.
A new bill, the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, 2022, which will replace the Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920, has been passed by the Lok Sabha.
Mr Shah stated that the purpose of the bill is to incorporate technology advancements into the century-old law to strengthen the investigation process.
According to the Home Minister, the existing law, which was formulated during the British era, doesn't reflect modern times. In order to increase conviction rates, the proposed law was drafted.
As a result of the bill, persons who are required to provide body measurements will be legally sanctioned for the taking of these measurements, assisting in better and more effective investigation and prosecution of crimes, as well as helping to increase conviction rates.
It was enacted so that convicts and other individuals could be measured and photographed under the Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920.
Measurements strictly refers to the taking of finger prints and foot prints of prisoners and non-prisoners, as well as taking pictures by order of a magistrate.
A new law expands what constitutes a "measurement" to include, among others, fingerprint impressions, palm-print impressions, foot-print impressions, photographs, iris and retina scans, physical and biological samples, and their analysis.