CITY ACADEMY LAW COLLEGE

LL.B. (HONS.) IX SEMESTER

FORENSIC SCIENCE (UNIT-2)

SYLLABUS (UNIT-2) FORENSIC SCIENCE USE IN CRIMINAL LAW

i- Personal Identity: Definition, Race, Sex determination, Anthropometry, Dactylographic,

Foot Prints, Scars, Deformities, tattoo marks, occupational marks, handwriting, clothes
personal articles, speech and voices, DNA, finger printing gait
ii- Post mortem examination: Objectives, rules, external examination, internal examination,
cause of death
iii- Examination of biological stains and hair, blood, semen, saliva stains, hair and fibers
iv- Medico legal aspect of sterilization, impotence, sterility and artificial insemination ,
surrogate birth, semen banking, virginity, pregnancy and delivery , sexual offence and
unnatural sexual offence , AIDS
v- Legitimacy and legal aspect of marriage, infanticide, abortion, and medical termination of
pregnancy

QUESTION-1 : What do you know by personal identity in forensic Science ? Discuss .

ANSWER:- -legal
- ( 1) Complete identity ( 2)
Incomplete or partial identity .
If a person (dead or alive) cannot be identified correctly, it can have far-reaching implications, and this is not true
only for the legal process. Family members have the need to dispose of the remains of their loved ones in a
suitable fashion and the insurance industry also needs unequivocal proof of the deceased's identity before a claim
can be settled. Identification is usually not a major issue in most deaths, although it may be traumatic for the next
of kin to see the mutilated body of a loved one. It has for example happened that under such emotional
circumstances people have been identified incorrectly.
Identification can be difficult in certain situations : (1) Where bodies are mutilated, especially where the head
and limbs are absent (2) Where bodies are decomposed. (3) If bodies are burnt and charred. (3) If there is
only a skeleton, or parts thereof, left . (5) In the case of mass disasters where mutilation and charring of bodies
are common, such as on 11 September 2001 in New York, and in aircraft and mining accidents. Etc.
The identification of a living person is also important. A young individual, age unknown, may be prosecuted for a
crime in which the exact age of the assailant may be an issue of importance, especially when it comes to an
appropriate sentence. It is sometimes also necessary to link the genetic contents of a specimen, for example
semen, with a specific individual. Identification of the alleged father in cases of a paternity dispute is a common
occurrence.
Identification, both in the living and a dead person, is done according to one or both of the following two basic
principle
(1)Identification through reconstruction and classification: This involves determining age, sex, race, etc.
(2) Identification through comparative studies: Certain features unique to an individual can be compared with
data available about that individual or possible individuals. Fingerprints, photographs, scars, operation scars and
prostheses, or the absence of viscera (eg the uterus) can be of value.