You are here: Home > Mumbai > Paternity tests gaining popularity in Mumbai

Growing number of Mumbaikars scurry for DNA tests for reasons ranging from suspicion and surrogacy to even property disputes

Meena (name changed) only had a faint idea that a man in Dubai was her father. After convincing him to undergo a paternity test, the 29-year-old discovered that he was, and is now in the process of changing her name. Meena's is not an isolated incident.

Pic for representation/Getty Images

Paternity tests are currently all the rage in the city for people seeking 'peace of mind'. And what's more is that the need for labs conducting these tests has only multiplied with surrogacy and reports of baby swapping.

Desperate

Another local man who was desperate to have his daughter flown down to India from Canada was grappling with issues with the Canadian authorities, until he got the papers to prove that he was indeed her father. And while the laboratory that conducted the tests did not follow up with the man, citing confidentiality, "it was needless to say that the man in India was very happy," said Pankaj Sohaney, director for marketing and business development for Paternity Test India.

While these tests cannot be used as evidence in a court of law (the tests only become permissible evidence when the court of law directs a lab to conduct the test), the easy availability of testing is fast becoming the refuge of parents, children and families with suspicion on their minds.

Take IVF specialist

Dr Gautam Allahbadia whose clinic Rotunda in Bandra conducts paternity tests that are especially needed for foreign couples who hire surrogate moms in India. "Most embassies and consulates do not accept the validity of tests conducted in India, so our samples are sent to a laboratory in the United States. This way there is total transparency and the test's authenticity is high," says Allahbadia. "I used to have around 10 requests a year when we started the service in 2001. Now, it's gone up to 30," said Allahbadia.

Property dispute

In the last eight months alone, Paternity Test India has gone from processing two-three samples a month to up to 20 in the same time at their Dubai-based laboratories. The laboratory also offers a test to prove whether a person is a grandparent or not. "Requests are rare. There are maybe only one or two a month. But families still seek these tests out due to property disputes where the father is unavailable or is deceased," said Sohaney.

Rs 11,000
Average cost of a paternity test

Famous paternity tests

Imran Khan

Imran Khan was declared the father of Tyrian after a paternity test. Sita White claimed in court that she had a long affair with Khan and that Tyrian had been conceived during a bout of passion in 1991. She claimed Khan wanted her to have an abortion once he found he was going to be the father of a girl, saying, "She cannot play cricket."

Boris Becker

In February 2001, Boris Becker acknowledged having a daughter with Angela Ermakova after a 1999 sexual meet up with her in a closet at a restaurant in London. He had initially denied he was the father, but a DNA test proved otherwise.

Mick Jagger

The Rolling Stones rocker dated model Luciana Morad for several months while married to Jerry Hall and denied paternity when Morad became pregnant. DNA tests proved that he was the father and Jagger will be paying Morad $10,000  (Rs 4,63,700) a month in support until their son is 21.

Eddie Murphy

The actor dated Spice Girl Melanie Brown in 2006 and when she became pregnant, she stated that he was the father. Murphy said he would  only know whose child it was after a blood test. On June 22, 2007, DNA tests confirmed that Murphy was the father.