Bhopal, July 27: An Indore man accused of killing his wife has allegedly admitted to police he had put her though narco-analysis to find out if she had been unfaithful.

The police have arrested Ashok Rathor on the charge of murdering Surekha on July 18 but have refused to act against the doctor who allegedly conducted the narco test, indicating agniparikshas are fine in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh.

Indore superintendent of police Vipin Maheshwari played the controversy down saying there was no legal framework to check narco tests.

“What can police do when a husband and wife mutually agree to undertake such a test? Besides, it’s only the statement of an accused facing murder charges that his wife had undergone such a test.”

It isn’t clear whether Rathor was inspired by the agniparikshas --- fire tests to determine chastity — that Ram asks Sita to undergo in the Ramayan, or by a TV reality show where participants are put though polygraph “lie-detector” tests.

Experts said that unlike a polygraph test, a narco-analysis is illegal unless done at one of three authorised forensic laboratories in the country. They can be conducted only on people accused of crimes, and only with their consent or with court permission.

The subjects of a narco test are administered a “truth serum” and put into a semi-conscious state, making them uninhibited and talkative but incapable of thinking up false answers. Those undergoing a polygraph test, however, are in full control of their minds.

Neither test guarantees true answers, and their results are not admissible as evidence in court. The courts allow these tests only if it feels they might provide the investigators with clues.

“Narco tests are not proper but exceptions can be made only to assist police investigation in national interest. They should be banned for individual purposes, like sex-determination tests,” said Dr Saifullah Tipu, senior anaesthesiologist with Bhopal Memorial Gas Hospital.

Akansha, a psychologist, said narco tests violated the fundamental right against self-incrimination provided by Article 20(3) of the Constitution, and should only be permitted by the courts in exceptional cases.

The scandal comes days after the state government had betrayed its insensitivity to gender issues by forcing some 150 would-be brides to take virginity tests before state-sponsored mass weddings in Shahdol district.

National and state women’s commission members have visited the area and confirmed the incident but the government is still denying the incident. Also, the Gwalior administration had last December sacked a tribal employee, Hemlata Mandoli, for marrying a subordinate from an upper caste.

Gwalior commissioner Komal Singh was quoted as saying the inter-caste marriage had undermined the administration’s prestige. Hemlata moved court to get her job back.

Congress spokesman Aslam Sher Khan said: “How can narco tests be performed at an individual’s whim? What is more shocking is the attitude of the state government. It is the most anti-woman regime in the country.”

India is among a handful of democratic countries that allow narco-tests. For instance, in the Abdul Karim Telgi stamp paper scam, the court allowed these tests to help the investigations.

In the three authorised labs, narco-analysis tests are performed by a team made up of an anaesthesiologist, a psychiatrist, a clinical or forensic psychologist, an audio-videographer and supporting nursing staff.