With reference to the Supreme Court's jurisprudence on narco-analysis, consider the following statements:
1. An accused can be subjected to an involuntary narco-analysis test if authorized by a High Court during a bail hearing for a heinous crime.
2. Even if a narco-analysis test is conducted voluntarily, the test report itself cannot be directly admitted as evidence for conviction.

Question

Accepted Answer

B. 2 only — Statement 1 is incorrect: In Amlesh Kumar v. State of Bihar (2025) and Selvi v. State of Karnataka (2010), the Supreme Court ruled that involuntary narco-analysis is strictly unconstitutional under Articles 20(3) and 21, regardless of the court or the crime. Statement 2 is correct: Even if taken voluntarily, the raw test results are not direct evidence, though facts subsequently discovered based on those statements can be admitted under Section 27 of the Indian Evidence Act.

SC Bars Forced Narco-Analysis at Bail Stage

MHA Notifies 33-Question Schedule for Census 2027