LANDMARK CASE

Selvi v. State of Karnataka

(2010) 7 SCC 263 · Supreme Court of India · Criminal procedure

At a glance

Citation: (2010) 7 SCC 263
Court: Supreme Court of India
Area of law: Criminal procedure
In one line: No. Involuntary tests violate the right against self incrimination under Article 20(3) and personal liberty under Article 21.

1 Facts

Accused persons were subjected to narco analysis, polygraph and brain mapping tests without consent.

2 Issue

Can these tests be conducted without consent?

3 What the court decided

No. Involuntary tests violate the right against self incrimination under Article 20(3) and personal liberty under Article 21.

4 Why it matters

It protects mental privacy and limits investigative techniques.

5 Think about it

Why is information from the mind treated differently from fingerprints?

6 Analyse it yourself

Read the full judgment from an official source or a law database, then brief it in seven steps: facts, issues, arguments, decision, ratio, obiter and significance. Always check the citation before you rely on it.

7 More cases on Criminal procedure

Arnab Manoranjan Goswami v. Union of India (2020) 14 SCC 12
Arnesh Kumar v. State of Bihar (2014) 8 SCC 273
D.K. Basu v. State of West Bengal (1997) 1 SCC 416
Gian Singh v. State of Punjab (2012) 10 SCC 303
Gideon v. Wainwright 372 U.S. 335 (1963)
Gurbaksh Singh Sibbia v. State of Punjab (1980) 2 SCC 565

All 366 landmark cases · Today's Case of the Day · Weekly quiz

← Seema v. Ashwani Kumar Shabnam v. Union of India →

A short teaching summary for students. Educational content only, not legal advice.