Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, 2022 seeks to replace which Act?

The correct answer is Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920.

Key Points

• The Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, 2022 seeks to replace the Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920, which is over a century old.
• The 1920 Act allowed for the collection of only limited data such as fingerprints and footprint impressions of certain convicted individuals.
• The new Bill proposes the collection of a wider range of data, including biological samples, retina scans, and behavioral attributes like handwriting and signatures.
• It aims to modernize the process of identifying individuals involved in criminal activities, enhancing the efficiency of the criminal justice system.
• The Bill includes provisions for taking such measurements not only from convicted persons but also from arrested individuals and other persons in custody under certain conditions.

Additional Information

• Scope of the Bill: The Bill expands the scope of data collection to include physical, biological, and behavioral data, ensuring a more comprehensive identification process.
• Implementation Authority: The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) is tasked with collecting, storing, and preserving the measurements and sharing them with law enforcement agencies.
• Legal Safeguards: The Bill provides safeguards to prevent misuse of data, including the destruction of collected data after a prescribed period or upon acquittal of the individual.
• Criticism and Concerns: Critics have raised concerns about privacy and potential misuse of sensitive personal data, citing the lack of robust data protection laws in India.
• Global Practices: Countries like the US and UK also collect extensive biometric data for criminal investigations, but such practices are often accompanied by strict data protection frameworks.