FORENSIC DNA EVIDENCE IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE: RELIABILITY, ADMISSIBILITY AND LEGAL SAFEGUARDS IN INDIA

AUTHOR – BALA MURUGAN S* & HEMAVATHY**

* BCA LLB (HONS), TAMIL NADU DR. AMBEDKAR LAW UNIVERSITY

** PROFESSOR AT TAMIL NADU DR. AMBEDKAR LAW UNIVERSITY

BEST CITATION – BALA MURUGAN S & HEMAVATHY, FORENSIC DNA EVIDENCE IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE: RELIABILITY, ADMISSIBILITY AND LEGAL SAFEGUARDS IN INDIA, INDIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL REVIEW (IJLR), 6 (3) OF 2026, PG. 752-758, APIS – 3920 – 0001 & ISSN – 2583-2344.

ABSTRACT

Forensic DNA profiling has transformed the landscape of criminal adjudication, offering courts a scientific mechanism of remarkable precision to link suspects to crime scenes or exonerate the wrongly accused. This paper examines the evidentiary value of forensic DNA evidence within the Indian criminal justice framework, tracing its scientific foundations, legislative architecture, and judicial reception. It critically interrogates the reliability of DNA-based expert testimony, the procedural safeguards that govern its collection and analysis, and the constitutional tensions that arise when forensic compulsion encroaches upon individual rights. Drawing upon comparative jurisprudence, empirical literature and the emerging Indian statutory landscape—particularly the DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019—this paper argues that the transformative potential of DNA evidence can only be fully realised when matched by robust institutional accountability, trained forensic infrastructure, and a rights-protective legal framework. The paper concludes with recommendations for legislative and procedural reform directed at Indian law students, practitioners and policymakers.

Keywords: Forensic DNA; Criminal Evidence; Expert Testimony; DNA Regulation Bill 2019; Indian Criminal Justice; Admissibility; Constitutional Rights.