What Makes a DNA Paternity Test Admissible in Court?
To be admissible in court a DNA paternity test must meet two requirements. First, the test must be performed by a DNA paternity testing laboratory that is accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB). Second, the DNA specimens used in the DNA ppaternity test must have been collected, shipped and stored in a manner that establishes a good chain of custody for the specimens. This allows the DNA paternity testing laboratory to prove that the individuals whose names appear on the paternity test are truly the individuals who provided the DNA samples that were DNA paternity tested. The chain of custody begins with the DNA specimen collector attaching a picture of the collected individuals to the form used to collect the DNA specimens (often referred to as a Specimen Collection Form or Chain of Custody Form). The DNA collector also checks a photo ID such as a driver’s license, and takes a thumbprint of the DNA tested individuals. Additional procedures may also be followed. The
As an AABB-accredited laboratory, we carry out paternity tests for court purpose in India and other Legal DNA test for Legal purpose in India using a Chain of Custody documentation process to ensure results will be legally defensible, in case the results will be used in courts and other government agencies. This process proves and satisfies the following legal requirements:
- Samples are collected by an impartial third party, such as a Doctor, clinic or laboratory.
- The individuals tested are positively identified (i.e. They present a government-issued ID, and they are photographed and fingerprinted for records.).
- The samples are carefully tracked and matched to each test participant throughout the entire DNA testing process.
The Chain of Custody process requires samples to be taken by a neutral third party. Thus, test participants would need to go to one of our sample collection facilities to be collected. The Chain of Custody process ensures that your results will be acceptable in court and other legal cases where paternity needs to be established.
