VIJAYAWADA: In a significant ruling, the AP High Court has dismissed a petition seeking DNA testing of children to prove a wife’s alleged extramarital relationship, observing that children cannot be used as a ‘pawn’ in matrimonial disputes.
Justice Tarlada Rajasekhara Rao upheld the order of a lower court and made it clear that allegations of infidelity must be established through other evidence and not by subjecting children to DNA tests. The court emphasised that the welfare and rights of children must take precedence over the personal interests of parents.
The case pertains to a man from Vizianagaram district who had filed for divorce in 2019 and later, in 2022, sought DNA testing of his children, claiming doubts over their paternity.
The trial court dismissed his plea in 2024, following which he approached the High Court through a civil revision petition in 2025.
The High Court ruled that permitting such tests would amount to compromising the identity and rights of children for the benefit of one party.