1991 was a busy year in India’s calendar. Along with Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination and India’s economic crisis India also witnessed a curious case verdict in the State of Kerala that would provide courts a go to solution in resolving paternity disputes. So let’s get into the story, back to late 1980s, long before Internet became main stream…

Vilasini, a spinster, was working as an agent for Insurance company. She went to her neighbhour Kunhiraman, a middle aged bachelor, to sell him a policy. For which Kunhiraman willingly signed up. He even helped her get other leads and got his own brother signed up for the policy as well. As Vilasini appreciated the helping nature of Kunhiraman she made frequent visits to his house. It was later learnt that it was out of his liking for Vilasini that he did all the help. One day, when no one else was in his house Kunhiraman forced Vilasini to have sex with him. She resisted initially but surrendered on Kunhiraman’s promise that he will marry her. After this became a regular affair Vilasini one day told Kunhiraman that she is pregnant. And it was just the beginning of the pain & suffering to be followed.

Kunhiraman tried convincing her to go for abortion but Vilasini refused and chose to bear the baby. She gave birth and tried abandoning the baby. But police intervened and reunited the baby to the mother. She then named Kunhiraman as the father in Birth Certificate for which he objected and got his name removed. Vilasini wasn’t all ready to give up. She filed a case in the court that Kunhiraman is indeed the father of the baby and demanded for the maintenance amount. Kunhiraman blatantly denied having any sexual relationship with Vilasini and said that child must have been born to somebody else. With no evidence and proper witnesses it almost looked like Vilasini would loose the case. Like I said Vilasini wasn’t all ready to give up and science & technology in India was just getting ready to help her win the case.

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DNA fingerprinting, that can determine the biological parents of a child, only started in India around 1988 and Vilasini applied for DNA test at Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad for determining if Vilasini and Kunhiraman are the biological parents or not. Kunhiraman agreed for the test initially but questioned the reliability of the test after the results said that Kunhiraman and Vilasini are indeed the biological parents of the baby. But the court weighed the test as highly accurate, after the scientist was presented as witness and convincing the court that tests are reliable and fool proof. And finally court gave the verdict that Kunhiraman is the father of the Vilasini’s father and should be paid monthly maintenance of 500/- for the same. It was said that the Kunhiraman would later file petition in High Court of Kerala but the court would dismiss the petition not just upholding the lower court verdict but upholding trust in science and technology.

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This was the first case that solved the parental dispute using the DNA Fingerprinting in India. And it provided courts a go to solution in disputes of biological parents once and for all in India.

After all these years I wonder how Vilasini & Kunhiraman are leading the life after the judgement. And obviously what the baby, who brought DNA Fingerprinting to the limelight in India, is doing.

And I leave you with those thoughts in your mind. Cheers!

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