Uttarakhand: Arrangements for conducting polygraph tests to begin soon

May 4, 2026

The police will no longer have to travel to Delhi and other cities to extract the truth from professional criminals. To address this, arrangements for conducting polygraph tests will soon be established within the state itself. The state government has granted approval to the Forensic Laboratory for this initiative.

The Forensic Department had submitted a proposal to the government seeking arrangements for both polygraph and narco-analysis tests. Of these, approval has currently been granted for establishing the facility for polygraph tests. Until now, the state’s police apparatus lacked the infrastructure to conduct polygraph and narco-analysis tests internally; consequently, they had to rely on laboratories located in places such as Delhi, Chandigarh, and Hyderabad. Essentially, in cases involving complex crimes where the police suspect the accused is lying, two primary methods are commonly employed to elicit the truth.

Proposal for Both Tests Sent to Government Last Year

These methods are the polygraph test and the narco-analysis test. The polygraph test involves the use of a machine; sensors are attached to various parts of the accused’s body to monitor their physiological responses.

Specifically, parameters such as blood pressure, perspiration, and heart rate are observed. According to experts, these physiological activities undergo distinct changes depending on whether a person is speaking the truth or lying. Data derived from these observations is compiled to generate a comprehensive report.

Police use it as an investigative tool for assistance 

Although courts do not regard this test as highly conclusive, the police utilize it as an auxiliary investigative tool to assist them in reaching a conclusion. The second method is narco-analysis, wherein a drug is injected into the body to induce a semi-conscious state, during which the accused is interrogated.

In this state, the individual’s cognitive faculties are impaired, and it is presumed that they will speak the truth. However, this test has been the subject of controversy in numerous cases.

Last year, the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) submitted a proposal to the government regarding the implementation of both these tests; in response, the government has granted approval specifically for establishing the polygraph testing facility. In the past, polygraph tests for accused individuals involved in various criminal cases within the state had to be conducted at AIIMS, Delhi.