In a significant ruling reiterating the sanctity of the presumption of legitimacy attached to children born within wedlock, the Supreme Court has held that a DNA test cannot be directed as a matter of course to determine paternity, especially when it risks illegitimising a child and intrudes upon individual privacy.

The Court underscored that scientific tools like DNA profiling cannot be used for “fishing inquiries” and must be resorted to only in cases of eminent need, where the investigation cannot proceed without it.

Observing that the presumption of a child's legitimacy during a wedlock under Section 112 of Evidence operates as a 'conclusive proof', the Supreme Court on set aside the Madras High Court (Madurai Bench) order that compelled a doctor to undergo a DNA test in a paternity

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