'Retake DNA test of 2010 rape accused'

Irked over non-availability of competent forensic experts for conducting DNA examination, a Delhi court has directed a forensic science laboratory here to conduct the test again on an accused in the gang rape case of a minor girl in a moving car in 2010.

The court order came after the prosecutor submitted to it that the expert who had conducted the DNAfinger printing examination in the case was “not a competent officer” as per the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) norms.
Additional sessions judge Kamini Lau said that in the DNA report of the experts of the Rohini-based FSL, it was stated that DNA could not be “isolated” from the forensic sample.

The court was dealing with a case in which Delhi resident Hitesh was accused of gang raping a 15-year-old girl with his associate Sunil’s help in a moving car on March 19, 2010 at Bawana in north-west Delhi after kidnapping her.

Police said as the girl resisted the attempt, the accused hit her on her backbone, leading to immediate paralysis from waist down. The girl died last year after a long medical treatment.
Sunil was absconding since then, and was arrested in September this year. He was caught in another gang rape case this year, when he adopted a similar modus operandi of kidnapping and then raping the victim in a moving car in north-west Delhi.

The court said Sunil’s samples must be sent for DNA examination. “Keeping in view the fact that Sunil has been apprehended, the source material is again required to be sent to the FSL, Rohini for fresh DNA and finger printing examination to which defence counsel has no objection,” the judge said.

“I direct that the source material of both the accused Hitesh and Sunil Sehrawat be subjected to fresh DNA and fingerprinting examination, a report of which is directed to be placed before this court on the next date,” said the judge.