Lok Sabha passes Criminal Procedure (Id) Bill

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Monday passed the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, 2022, which seeks to repeal The Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920, and allow the collection, storage and analysis of physical and biological samples, including retina and iris scan, of the convicted, arrested and detained persons.

During the debate on the Bill, the Opposition members expressed concern over data protection, possible misuse of the proposed law, violation of the citizen's right to privacy and other fundamental rights. In his response, Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured them of a technology-driven fool-proof mechanism to prevent any data leak. He said the data access would be query based.

Terming the concerns raised by some members valid, Shah said they would be addressed while formulating the rules. If required, he would come up with amendments. Replying to the queries about persons detained under any preventive law, he said they could refuse to give the samples.