New Delhi: The government does not intend to
make narco analysis test compulsory on an accused for the sake of seeking evidence and will follow the Supreme Court`s recent
ruling on the matter, Home Minister P Chidambaram informed the Rajya Sabha Wednesday.
"It is not our intention to make narco analysis test
compulsory on an accused for seeking evidence. We will follow
Supreme Court`s May 5, 2010 judgement which says that consent
of the person should be taken before conducting any brain
mapping or narco test," he said during Question Hour.
He hoped that the state governments would also follow
the SC ruling.
The Supreme Court has directed strict adherence to the
guidelines formulated by the NHRC in 2000 on polygraph test on
an accused which are also to be followed for conducting the
narco analysis technique and the brain electrical activation
profile.
Chidambaram said personally he was of the opinion that
narco analysis test along with brain mapping test should be
"outlawed" as these tests are invasive and could affect the
functioning of the brain.
"If the accused does not give permission to conduct any of
these tests on his person, then these should not be done. If
somebody refuses permission for a particular test, that should
not be conducted. It is most unlikely that anybody will give
consent to a narco analysis test on oneself... It (the test)
should not be done.
"...the SC has not banned these tests, but has only said
they should be conducted as per National Human Rights
Commission`s guidelines, which say that the person`s consent
should be taken first," the minister said.
The guidelines say that no lie detector test should be
administered except on the basis of consent of the accused and
an option should be given to the accused whether he wishes to
avail such test.
They also say that if the accused volunteers for such a
test, then he should be given access to a lawyer and the
physical, emotional and legal implication of such a test
should be explained to him by the police and his lawyer.
The consent should be recorded before a judicial
magistrate and during the hearing, the person said to have
agreed should be duly represented by a lawyer.
Among other things, the NHRC guidelines add that the
actual recording of the lie detector test should be done in an
independent agency like a hospital and in the presence of a
lawyer.
Also a full medical and factual narration of the manner of
the information received must be taken on record, the NHRC
guidelines say.
PTI
