Handwriting can reveal suspects sex, says PU researcher
Focusing on the examination of signatures and handwriting in forensic cases, a research scholar from Panjab University’s Department of Anthropology carried out research on whether or not the sex of a suspect can be determined by studying their handwriting and signatures. This detailed examination of handwriting provides valuable insights for forensic analysis and investigative purposes. Rakesh Meena, the research scholar, has published a paper titled ‘Is it possible to estimate sex from signatures and handwriting? A review of literature, observations, and future perspectives’ in the international journal ‘The Science of Nature’.
The research was carried out under the supervision of Prof Kewal Krishan and Prof Abhik Ghosh. In this paper, Meena made an attempt to distinguish the sex of the writer based on general/basic handwriting characteristics. “The determination of an individual's sex holds significant importance in the field of forensic science, particularly in the context of crime scene investigations. This is crucial for establishing a person's identity because of understanding sex differences in human behaviour. Also, our motor skills can be influenced by the cognitive and behavioural differences between genders,” Meena said.
The researcher presented writing examples to show sex-based differences in the signatures and handwritings of males and females. Class characteristics, such as the movement of signatures, slant (slope), skill, alignment, line quality, spacing, length, shape, punctuation, and embellishment, play a crucial role in eliminating a suspect in an investigation.
“Meena specialises in signature and handwriting identification, fingerprint identification, crime scene investigation, and CCTV footage examination. As a researcher, he has done commendable work for forensic analysis and investigation,” said Prof Kewal Krishan, her supervisor.
