Madras High Court cancels DNA test order in bigamy case

A man in India was accused of hiding the fact that he was already married before he married another woman.

The woman said he tricked her into the marriage and that he was dishonest with her.

During the court trial, the man suggested that he might not be the father of the couple's child.

Because of that, the prosecution asked the court to order a DNA test for the man, the woman, and the child.

A lower court agreed and ordered the DNA test.

But the Madras High Court said no.

The high court explained that finding out who the child's father is does not matter for the accusation of hiding a first marriage.

The court said DNA tests should only be used when they are really needed to answer the main question of the case.

Since the paternity question was just a side issue, ordering the test was wrong.

So the high court cancelled the DNA test order.