Medico-Legal Update

H. C. Govindaraju ¹, R. Dayananda ², Prince M. Paul ¹, P. Sampath Kumar ¹

Affiliations
1 Sri Ramachandra Medical College, Porur, Chennai, IN
2 Sri Devraj Urs Medical College, Tamaka, Kolar, IN

Abstract

Fingerprint is one of the oldest, reliable and mature biometric technologies and is considered one of the best, cheapest and legitimate proofs of identification. A correlation between physical characteristics like fingerprints and blood group was demonstrated in previous studies.

Objective: To correlate between palmar dermatoglyphics patterns in ABO, Rh blood groups and evaluate their significance.

Methodology: A total of 200 Hymamshu Jyothi kalapeetha students with known blood groups were selected. Fingerprints were obtained by printing method. The distribution of dermatoglyphic fingertip patterns in both hands of individuals and its relationship with gender and different ABO and Rh blood groups was evaluated and analysed statistically.

Results: Blood group O positive is the dominant blood group and AB negative is the rarest. The commonest pattern of fingerprint was loops. Percentage of whorls, loops is highest in AB and O group respectively. The distribution pattern of the fingerprint was of the same order in individuals with A, B, AB and O blood groups i.e high frequency of loops, moderate of whorls and low of arches.

Keywords

Fingerprint, 'ABO' system, Loops, Arches, Whorls

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Sneha S. ¹, Smriti Sarathi ², P. Sampath Kumar ³, Rajesh R. ⁴, Jagdish Kamal Chander U. ⁵

Affiliations
1 Senior Resident/Research Assistant, Sri Ramachandra Medical College & Research Institute, Porur, Chennai, IN
2 Third Year MBBS Student, Sri Ramachandra Medical College & Research Institute, Porur, Chennai, IN
3 Professor and Head, Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Sri Ramachandra Medical College & Research Institute, Porur, Chennai, IN
4 Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Government Kilpauk Medical College, Chennai, IN
5 Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Sri Ramachandra Medical College & Research Institute, Porur, Chennai, IN

Abstract

The killing of a family member, when the offenders believe that the victim’s activities have resulted in immense dishonor to the family or community is called honor killing or shame killing. The absence of systematic data collection in most countries has resulted in lack of clarity on the judicial approach and its consequences, with many of the killings being reported falsely as suicides or accidental deaths by the families. Honor killings are prevalent all over the world, with the majority of them happening in the Asian countries, closely followed by the Middle East and South Asia regions. This review article attempts to analyze the present legal status of honor killing in the country of India, predominantly in the southern states. The sensational killing of a Dalit youth, Gokulraj in 2015 found in the company of a girl belonging to the Gounder community at a temple in Tiruchengode , sent shock waves across the state. Another prominent case occurred in the state of Tamil Nadu, where the marriage of Ilavarasan – a Dalit youth from Dharmapuri to a Vanniyar girl from Sellangottai, evoked deep conflicts in 2013, that lead to the former’s body lying on a railway track. With the ideals of ‘honor’ and ‘disgrace’ being deeply ischolar_mained in the Indian mindset, the laws alone will not suffice to curb such forms of violence and it has to be addressed as a sociological issue.

Keywords

Honor Killing, Khap Panchayat, Dalit, Vanniyar

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