5 out of 6 Parliament breach accused give consent for polygraph test

NEW DELHI: Five of the six accused persons in the December 13 Parliament security breach case on Friday gave their consent before a Delhi court to undergo polygraph test.

Delhi Police had moved an application seeking permission to conduct polygraph test of the six accused persons -- Manoranjan D, Sagar Sharma, Amol Dhanraj Shinde, Neelam Devi Azad, Lalit Jha and Mahesh Kumawat -- who have been arrested in connection with the case.

Excluding Neelam Devi, the other five accused gave their consent to undergo polygraph test before Additional Sessions Judge Hardeeep Kaur of the Patiala House Courts.

The judge also extended their police custody by eight days after they were produced before the court amid tight security on expiry of their police remand.

The police had moved an application for conducting polygraph test of the accused, saying the investigators need to get more details to make the case strong and gather more evidence to unearth the entire conspiracy.

The police have also sought permission to conduct brain mapping and Narco test of Manoranjan and Sagar.

The duo had burst yellow smoke canisters inside the Lok Sabha chamber on December 13, the 22nd anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attack, after jumping from the visitors’ gallery before they were overpowered by the MPs present in the House.

Two others -- Neelam Azad and Shinde -- also burst smoke canisters and raised slogans outside Parliament.

Jha is believed to be the mastermind of the entire plan, who reportedly fled with the mobile phones of the four others.

A polygraph test, commonly known as a lie detector test, involves recording physiological indicators such as blood pressure, pulse, and respiration while the individual under scrutiny responds to a series of questions.

After each response, forensic scientists provide their opinion, based on the recorded readings, regarding the truthfulness or falsehood of the accused person's statements.

“If the polygraph test fails to yield the desired results, investigators suggest that the police might proceed to request for a Narco test, a step taken in several prior cases,” a police source had said.

Narco analysis, also known as ‘truth serum’, entails administering a drug intravenously (such as sodium pentothal, scopolamine, and sodium amytal) into the person undergoing the test.

During the hypnotic stage, the individual becomes less inhibited and is more likely to disclose information that would typically remain undisclosed in a conscious state. Investigating agencies deploy this test when other evidence fails to provide a clear understanding of the case.