The Supreme Court of India has ruled that in certain legal disputes involving paternity, a child’s right to know their biological parentage can outweigh an individual’s right to privacy.The judgment came in a case where the court directed a DNA test to determine whether a man was the biological father of a person born in 1999.

The appellant had resisted genetic testing, citing concerns over privacy and personal dignity, but the Court held that such rights must be balanced against the claimant’s lifelong interest in knowing their identity.

A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Karol and N Kotiswar Singh dismissed the appeal and upheld the order for DNA testing, emphasising that courts must carefully weigh competing interests rather than treating privacy as absolute in such disputes.

The Court observed that the paternity question was central to the civil suit and not a peripheral issue, making scientific evidence necessary in the absence of any conclusive alternative proof.

It noted that the claimant had grown up with consistent assertions from his mother that the appellant was his father, while official records had been contradictory.

The judgment highlighted that denying a clear determination could permanently deprive the claimant of rights linked to establishing his biological identity.

Reiterating earlier precedents, the Supreme Court stated that DNA tests should not be ordered routinely and must be restricted to exceptional cases where no other evidence can resolve the dispute.However, in the present case, the Court found that the balance of interests favoured the claimant’s right to certainty.

It referred to previous rulings, including Aparna Ajinkya Firodia (2024) and Ivan Rathinam (2025), which stress balancing dignity, privacy, and truth-seeking in family law disputes.The Court ultimately directed the trial court to proceed with the DNA test and continue the civil proceedings based on its outcome.