Bombay (Mumbai) seems to be having a rash of  men lining up in front of labs to get DNA tests done on their offspring. There is such a huge  amount of pressure on the government lab,  that it is forced to charge twice as much! Why have men suddenly become suspicious of their wives?

An ever-increasing load of paternity cases- where the father’s biological link with his child is under dispute has prompted the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Kalina to nearly double DNA testing charges for the first time in a decade. State officials said the hike was to cover the rising cost of imported chemicals and disposables.

FSL experts said the DNA division, which is mainly supposed to aid in the investigation of murder, rape and kidnapping cases, was busy solving around 11 paternity disputes every month.”At least 5-10% of the section’s monthly work involves giving closure to suspicious fathers,” an official said, “and the numbers seem to be multiplying every year.” Testing a sample to establish paternity, which used to cost around Rs 10,000, will now be around Rs 19,000.

A senior Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) official said, “The chemicals we use for the test are mostly imported. It is an expensive and tedious test that requires expertise.” The police department’s samples pertaining to murder, rape and other investigations are tested for free. Looking at the demand, the test is being extended from branches in Pune, Nagpur and Aurangabad.

An FSL official told the media that increasing awareness of the most scientific way to establish parentage had wreaked ‘havoc’ on the social fabric.”Surprisingly, even men from poor backgrounds seem to be plagued by the question of ‘who is the father’. Many struggle to pay for the test,” the official said.

The Supreme Court had in 2010 held that a DNA test in a paternity suit should be ordered by courts only in exceptional cases.

The FSL figure takes into account the few  cases that have landed up in court and subsequently at the state-run lab for the final genetic verdict. At least 10 times as many tests are being carried out in private labs. “There is no way to track the actual volume of tests carried out simply by buying kits from the internet and mailing a cheek swab,” said Dr Rukmini Krishnamurthy , founder member of Helik, a forensic research agency , and FSL ex-director .

“It is amusing how the technological advance that was supposed to give us clarity has brought out a dark side of society,” she said. “In 90% cases the fears of the father are unfounded but there are rare cases where the family has to deal with heartbreaking revelations,” she said.

Krishnamurthy said a wealthy Jaipur man came to the city to find out if he was the biological father of all five children. “The DNA results surprised us. Not only were none of the children biologically related to him but three of the siblings were not related to the other two,” she said.

Such cases underline the need for such tests to be conducted along with counselling. Santacruz-based psychiatrist Dr Milind Joshi said, “Most disputes come from nuclear families with working couples, where lack of intimacy and communication leads to suspicion.”

  DNA test, Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL, FSL, health, paternity