School of Law, Governance and Citizenship, Dr. B.R Ambedkar University Delhi
Invites you to a talk on State Forensic Architecture, Scientific Investigation and the Indian Supreme Court
by Prof. Jinee Lokaneeta
Professor in Political Science and International Relations at Drew University, Madison, NJ, USA and author of The Truth Machines (University of Michigan Press, 2020)
Student Discussants:
Abstract: The talk would examine the emergence and use of three scientific techniques—lie detectors, brain scans, and narco analysis (the use of truth serum), called the ‘Truth Machines’—in the Indian criminal justice system. The postcolonial Indian police, together with forensic psychologists, have claimed that the three techniques represent a paradigm shift away from custodial violence. The use of truth machines in India emerged in the 1990s and 2000s as a way to adopt scientific methods to combat use of physical force, and third-degree interrogation. Analysing this claim, the talk would elaborate on the state forensic architecture as it emerged from the efforts of forensic psychologists using Truth Machines and the realities of these investigations. It would then focus on the legal discourses of the Supreme Court of India documenting a debate between human rights critics and state officials defending the use of Truth Machines. The talk would reflect on whether or not the Court’s defence of these scientific investigative techniques as a way to replace torture has transformed the investigation process and the nature of custody as a safe space.
Brief Bio of the Speaker: Jinee Lokaneeta is a professor in political science and international relations at Drew University, Madison, NJ, USA. Her areas of interest include law and politics, political theory including critical and feminist theory, global human rights, and interdisciplinary legal studies. Her most recent book is titled The Truth Machines: Policing, Violence and Scientific Interrogations in India (University of Michigan Press, 2020) that theorizes the relationship between state power and law by focusing on the intersection of law, science and policing through a study of forensic techniques. She is also the author of Transnational Torture: Law, Violence, and State Power in the United States and India (2011). She has published in journals such as Economic and Political Weekly, Law, Culture and the Humanities, Studies in Law, Politics & Society and Theory & Event. She is also on the editorial board of the reputed American Journal of Political Science.
