Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022 comes into effect from today

The Government introduced this new act authorises taking measurements of convicts and other persons for the purposes of identification and investigation in criminal matters and to preserve records.

In April 2022, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha had respectively passed the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, 2022.

It provides legal sanction for taking appropriate body measurements of persons who are required to give such measurements.

This include finger-impressions, palm-print and foot-print impressions, photographs, iris and retina scan, physical, biological samples and their analysis among others.

The act also empowers the National Crime Records Bureau of India to collect, store and preserve the record of measurements and for sharing, dissemination, destruction and disposal of records. Under the act, the Police or Prison Officers have been given power to take measurements of any person who resists or refuses to give measurements. The new act replaced the Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920.