This document summarizes a paper presented at the 1st International Conference on Emerging Trends in Scientific Research held in 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The paper examines the current status and trends in forensic genetics for crime investigation in India. It discusses how forensic genetics grew slowly until 1985, when techniques like VNTRs and STRs emerged, allowing DNA to be used as evidence. While DNA analysis and growing forensic databases have improved forensic genetics, issues like reliability of techniques and laboratory errors pose challenges in courts. The paper traces the past, present, and future trends in forensic genetics globally.

1. Abstract of Emerging Trends in Scientific Research, 2014, Vol.1
DOI: 10.18488/journal.1002/2014.1/1002.1
1st
International Conference on Emerging Trends in
Scientific Research
15-16 March, 2014
Pearl International Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Conference Website: www.pakrdw.com
85
Paper ID: 349/14/1
st
ICETSR
Emerging Trends in Forensic Genetics: Indian Perspective
Yogender Bansal1
1
Additional Professor Forensic Medicine PGIMER, Chandigarh
Abstract
The growth of forensic genetics was at a slow pace till 1985, since then more powerful
techniques have emerged explosively which give a new face to this speciality. The year
1985 brought a major breakthrough when VNTRs (variable number of tandem repeats)
showed much greater variability among people than previous systems and immediately
began to be used for forensic studies. They are still used, but are rapidly being replaced
by STRs (short tandem repeats). The FBI began using DNA as evidence in 1998. The
great variability of DNA polymorphisms has made it possible to offer strong support for
correlating the DNA from a suspect and from the crime scene . The growth of forensic
data base and development of sophisticated analytical methods are the contributing
factors for the improvement of Forensic genetics. Despite of this tremendous growth, the
reliability of the techniques followed and other laboratory errors mainly issues like
contamination are always a great challenge when it is presented in court of law. This
review examines the current status of forensic genetics in crime investigation in India
specifically and also discusses about the past, present and future trends of the same
globally.
Keywords: Forensic Genetics, Variable number of tandem repeats, Short tandem repeats, DNA
polymorphisms, Forensic data base.