NARCO TEST | IAS GYAN

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A district court in New Delhi has allowed the Police to conduct a narco test on an accused of killing his live-in partner.

Narco Test

In a ‘narco’ or narcoanalysis test, a drug called sodium pentothal is injected into the body of the accused, which transports them to a hypnotic or sedated state, in which their imagination is neutralized.
- Sodium pentothal or sodium thiopental is a fast-acting, short-duration anaesthetic, which is used in larger doses to sedate patients during surgery. It acts on the central nervous system.
In this hypnotic state, the accused is understood as incapable of lying and is expected to reveal information that is true.
- It is sometimes referred to as a “truth serum”.
Investigating agencies use the tests in the investigation, which are seen as being a “softer alternative” to torture or “third degree” to extract the truth from suspects. However, the method has not been proven scientifically to have a 100% success rate.
If any information or material is subsequently discovered with the help of the test; the statement of the accused will not be treated as evidence, but the physical evidence will be treated as such.