Experts call for proper DNA testing in sexual assault cases

New Delhi: Experts on Wednesday called for a country-wide implementation of one-stop sexual assault examination, care, and research centres enabled with state-of-the-art DNA collection and testing facilities. In a symposium on the "Role of Forensic DNA Technology in Expediting Justice and Fighting Crime", Sudhir K Gupta, the head of the Forensic Medicine department at AIIMS in New Delhi said that the lack of proper facilities at hospitals has a direct correlation with the quality of DNA evidence collected.

"About 80 to 90 percent of the time, results from DNA evidence are not conclusive because of errors in the collection and storage of vaginal swabs and semen samples," Gupta added.

Director of Delhi Forensic Sciences Laboratories, Deepa Verma, who was also on panel said that proper preservation of DNA evidence is crucial. She added that one-stop sexual assault examination, care, and research centres are a step in the right direction.