The Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill is aimed at strengthening the investigation process and increasing conviction rates, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday and allayed the opposition's concerns over privacy.
"I want to assure the House that no one's privacy would be breached. No question of any data leak arises," he said while replying to a debate on the bill that seeks to provide legal sanction to the police for taking physical and biological samples of convicts and other persons accused of a criminal activity.
The bill, which will replace the Identification of Prisoners Act-1920, was passed by Lok Sabha on April 4.
"It is aimed to build capacity for the police and forensic team," he said, adding that it will remove use of the third degree and provide scientific methods to prosecution agencies.
The data collected would be protected and shared through a secure mechanism so that people's privacy is not compromised.
In the rules under the law, responsibility would also be fixed for those in charge of data.
"It will have a computerised register of which agency or person had demanded access to data," he said, adding that the Act would be notified after ensuring a comprehensive system.
The rules would be framed after consultations, Mr Shah added.
Taking a dig at the Opposition, Mr Shah said none of the members mentioned that the conviction rates in the country are low and should be increased.
While introducing the bill in Rajya Sabha earlier in the day, Mr Shah said it aims to provide legal sanction to the police to take physical and biological samples of convicts as well as persons accused of crimes.
Mr Shah said the bill was aimed at strengthening the investigation process by incorporating technological advancements in the 100-year-old law.
The minister said the existing law, which was framed during the British era, is not adequate in modern times.
The proposed law aims to increase the rate of conviction of criminals.
The Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920 was enacted to authorise the taking of measurements and photographs of convicts and other persons.
The term "measurements" used in the said 1920 Act is limited to allow for taking of finger impressions and foot-print impressions of limited category of convicted and non-convicted persons and photographs on the order of a Magistrate.
According to the new bill, the scope of "measurements" has been expanded to include finger-impressions, palm-print and foot-print impressions, photographs, iris and retina scan, physical, biological samples and their analysis, among others.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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