History of Fingerprint in India: Unraveling a Truth for Scientific Certainty

This article centres around the origin and application of fingerprint as a major tool of criminal identification in British India. The history reveals that fingerprinting began long before its use in criminal proceedings. Ancient Vedic texts reveal the use of palms or fingerprints for astrological purposes. During the medieval period, specifically in the Mughal period, rulers used to sign routine documents for administrative supremacy. For its scientific uniqueness and inimitability, British rulers introduced the fingerprint as a scientific measure for criminal identification. In such a milieu, this article aims to investigate the history of the scientific journey of fingerprints for the detection of crime. Another important purpose of this article is to highlight how the scientificity of justice began in British India. Both primary and secondary data have been used for this study which includes archival documents, microfilms, proceedings, books, journals and other relevant source materials. The article reveals that due to persistence and uniqueness, fingerprints gained immense importance in British India. It is expected that both historical and scientific understanding of the present attempt will positively make a constructive theoretical understanding of this historical science to a great extent. Present-day forensic students are learning about fingerprint science and its modern usage with new scientific technology. It is expected that this article will help them to enrich their knowledge by gaining an appreciation of what went before.