DNA databases: ‘India must learn from international experiences’

Helen Wallace: We need safeguards to protect human rights and prevent miscarriage of justice.

Helen Wallace says the U.K. is undergoing a rethink on its DNA policies

The Union government is working on a new version of a legislation that seeks to set up a national DNA data base of offenders, that allows for the collection and storage of DNA samples of those accused in cases ranging from homicide, sexual assault and rape to even violations under the motor vehicle Act.

A draft version of the legislation first mooted in 2007 envisages the maintenance of several state-level databases of suspects across a list of violations ranging from Motor Vehicle Act offences to crimes such as rape and murder.

Activists have opposed the legislation as a potential breach of citizens privacy, and have challenged it on ethical and technical grounds.

Helen Wallace, a member of Gene Watch, a U.K.-based group advocating against DNA databases, feels that India must learn from international experiences, particularly from the U.K. which was the first country to set up a database in 1995 that even allowed retention of DNA records of innocent citizens.

In May, the U.K. passed the Protection of Freedoms Act which will remove about 1 million records from the database.

In an interview with The Hindu, on the sidelines of a recent lecture at the Centre for Internet and Society, Ms. Wallace spoke about the need for proper safeguards, the proposed legislation and the cost-effectiveness of doing so in a country as India.

Excerpts:

Q: Theres been a major rethink on DNA profiling and databases in the UK. What are the lessons for India here?

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DNA databases: ‘India must learn from international experiences’