Heena Sharma Blog

Privacy violations under the DNA Bill cannot be addressed under the draft data protection bill Current Affairs News : Following close on the heels of the release of the draft Personal Data Protection Bill, 2018 (PDP Bill) release, is the proposed DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2018 (DNA Bill), which was introduced in parliament this monsoon session. This DNA Bill is the latest in a series that originated as the “DNA Profiling Bill” in 2007. Since then, the proposed law has gone through multiple iterations – with each version raising privacy concerns, such as the lack of adequate standards for consent, notice, retention and security of data. Chief amongst these privacy concerns is the fact that each of these iterations seems to grant near-sweeping powers to the state for the collection of DNA samples, with very few safeguards to protect citizens. Unfortunately, the present DNA Bill does little to address these concerns. For instance, the Bill

The Supreme Court also said that an adult couple can live together even if they are not married Latest News  : An adult couple has a right to live together without marriage, the Supreme Court said, while asserting that a 20-year-old Kerala woman, whose marriage   had been annulled, could choose whom she wanted to live with. The top court held that  live-in relationships   were now even recognised by the Legislature and they had found a place under the provisions of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005. The observations came while the apex court was hearing a plea filed by one Nandakumar against a Kerala High Court order annulling his marriage   with Thushara on the ground that he had not attained the legal age of marriage. Prohibition of Child Marriage Act states that a girl can’t marry before the age of 18, and a boy before 21. Nandakumar, who had approached the top court, will turn 21 on May 30 this year. The high court had also granted the custody