Delhi Police, on Thursday, December 28, moved a local court seeking permission to conduct a polygraph test of all the six persons arrested in connection with the December 13 Parliament security breach case. The application was moved before Additional Sessions Judge Hardeep Kaur. The court noted that the counsel representing some of the accused was not present, as it posted the matter for hearing on January 2.
The six accused -- Manoranjan D, Sagar Sharma, Amol Dhanraj Shinde, Neelam Devi Azad, Lalit Jha and Mahesh Kumawat -- were also presented before the court during the hearing of the plea. All six are in police custody till January 5.
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.
“The investigators need to get more details to make the case strong and gather more evidence besides unearthing the entire conspiracy. 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 observed in several prior cases,” said the source.
Narco analysis, also known as truth serum, entails administering a drug intravenously (such as sodium pentothal, scopolamine, and sodium amytal), inducing various stages of anaesthesia in 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. The Supreme Court, in 2010, had ruled that use of Deception Detection Tests (DDT) like narco analysis, brain mapping and polygraph on accused and suspects without their consent was unconstitutional and violated their right against self-incrimination.
Earlier, the public prosecutor had said that Kumawat was involved in destruction of mobile phones and was trying to spread anarchy in the country. The court had noted that Kumawat was involved in the conspiracy for the last two years and acknowledged the public prosecutor's submission that his custody was required to unearth the entire conspiracy.
It was further submitted that the accused wanted to create anarchy in the country so that they could compel the government to meet their unjust and illegal demands. “He was in contact with other persons in hatching the conspiracy for the last two years. He had helped mastermind Jha in the destruction of mobile phones to destroy evidence and to hide the larger conspiracy,” the public prosecutor had said.
Kumawat was arrested on December 16 on charges of destruction of evidence and criminal conspiracy. Five people were directly involved in the planning and execution of the security breach in the Lok Sabha on December 13, the 22nd anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack.
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Two of them -- Sagar and Manoranjan -- burst yellow smoke canisters after jumping into the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitors’ gallery before they were overpowered by the MPs present in the House. Two others -- Neelam and Amol -- also burst smoke canisters and raised slogans outside Parliament. Jha, believed to be the mastermind of the entire plan, reportedly fled with the mobile phones of the four others from Parliament, sources said.