{"id":5555,"date":"2022-11-19T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-19T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/current_affairs\/uncategorized\/19-11-2022\/narco-test\/"},"modified":"2022-11-19T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-11-19T00:00:00","slug":"narco-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/19-11-2022\/narco-test","title":{"rendered":"Narco Test"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-size:13pt\"><span style=\"font-family:\"Book Antiqua\",serif\"><strong>In News<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">It has recently come to spotlight after a Delhi Court <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>ordered a Narco Test <\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">for Aaftab Amin Poonawala in the bone-chilling Shradha Walkar killing case.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">The Court took into consideration <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>international norms on human rights, the right to a fair trial, and the right against self-incrimination<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"> under <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>Article 20(3)<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"> of the Constitution.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:13pt\"><span style=\"font-family:\"Book Antiqua\",serif\"><strong>What is a Narco Test?<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>In a narco or narco-analysis test<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">: a drug called <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>sodium pentothal<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"> is injected into the body of the accused, which transports them to a hypnotic or sedated state, in which their imagination is neutralised.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">In this <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>hypnotic state<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">, the accused is understood as being <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>incapable of lying<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">, and is <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>expected to divulge information that is true<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>Sodium pentothal or sodium thiopental<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"> is a fast-acting, short duration anesthetic, which is used in larger doses to sedate patients during surgery.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">It belongs to the <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>barbiturate class of drugs<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"> that act on the central nervous system as depressants.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>Truth serum<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">: Because the drug is believed to weaken the subject\u2019s resolve to lie, it is sometimes referred to as a truth serum, and is said to have been used by intelligence operatives during <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>World War II<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>\n<table cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"border-collapse:collapse; border:none; width:623px\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color:#fff2cc; border-bottom:1px solid #000000; border-left:1px solid #000000; border-right:1px solid #000000; border-top:1px solid #000000; vertical-align:top; width:623px\">\n<p><span style=\"font-size:13pt\"><span style=\"font-family:\"Book Antiqua\",serif\"><strong>What is a Polygraph Test?<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">A test such as this is said to have been <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>first done in the 19th century<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"> by the <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>Italian criminologist Cesare Lombroso<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">, who used a machine to measure changes in the blood pressure of criminal suspects during interrogation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">A polygraph test is <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>based on the assumption<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"> that physiological responses that are triggered when a <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>person is lying<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"> are different from what they would be otherwise.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">A polygraph test <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>does not involve injecting drugs into the body<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">; rather instruments like cardio-cuffs or sensitive electrodes are attached to the suspect, and variables such as blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration, change in sweat gland activity, blood flow, etc., are measured as questions are put to them.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>A numerical value is assigned to each response<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"> to conclude whether the person is telling the truth, is deceiving, or is uncertain.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:13pt\"><span style=\"font-family:\"Book Antiqua\",serif\"><strong>What is the need of such a test?<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">Investigating agencies have sought to employ these tests in investigation, which are sometimes seen as being a <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">softer alternative to torture or third degree to extract the truth from suspects.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">However, <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>neither method has been proven scientifically to have a 100% success<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"> rate, and remain contentious in the medical field as well.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>\n<table cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"border-collapse:collapse; border:none; width:623px\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color:#fff2cc; border-bottom:1px solid #000000; border-left:1px solid #000000; border-right:1px solid #000000; border-top:1px solid #000000; vertical-align:top; width:623px\">\n<p><span style=\"font-size:13pt\"><span style=\"font-family:\"Book Antiqua\",serif\"><strong>Related Case and Guidelines<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">Selvi &#038; Ors vs State of Karnataka &#038; Anr\u2019 (2010)<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">A Supreme Court Bench ruled that no lie detector tests should be administered except on the basis of consent of the accused.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">Guidelines for the Administration of Polygraph Test on an Accused<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">It was published by the National Human Rights Commission in 2000 which says that the subject&#8217;s consent should be recorded before a judicial magistrate.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:13pt\"><span style=\"font-family:\"Book Antiqua\",serif\"><strong>Can the results of these tests be considered as \u201cconfessions\u201d?<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>No it cannot be considered as a confession<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"> because those in a drugged-induced state cannot exercise a choice in answering questions that are put to them.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">However, <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>any information or material subsequently discovered with the help of such a voluntarily-taken test can be admitted as evidence<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:\"Book Antiqua\",serif\">Source: <\/span><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/everyday-explainers\/what-narco-test-aaftab-poonawalla-8274371\/\" style=\"text-decoration-line:none\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:\"Book Antiqua\",serif\"><span style=\"color:#1155cc\">IE<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In News It has recently come to spotlight after a Delhi Court ordered a Narco Test for Aaftab Amin Poonawala in the bone-chilling Shradha Walkar killing case. The Court took into consideration international norms on human rights, the right to a fair trial, and the right against self-incrimination under Article 20(3) of the Constitution.\u00a0 What [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5556,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[26,33],"class_list":["post-5555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-affairs","tag-gs-3","tag-science-technology"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2023\/07\/8070662962218D1C2BEA-B42D-44CA-AC90-12BFBC61D8CC.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5555"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5555\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}