Spell out instructions issued to doctors on post-mortem: Punjab and Haryana High Court

Tribune News Service

Saurabh Malik

Chandigarh, May 25

The Punjab and Haryana High Court today called for an explanation from the Director General, Health Services (Punjab), regarding instructions issued to the doctors on conducting the post-mortem in cases where the body was brought to the hospital in a police case. The Director General has been asked to file an affidavit on the issue.

The direction by Justice Arvind Singh Sangwan of the High Court came in a case where an injured woman’s body was handed over to the kin without conducting the post-mortem after believing her husband’s version that she had suffered a heart attack.

Justice Sangwan asserted “surprisingly” the doctor present at the Dera Bassi Civil Hospital, where the woman was brought, handed over the body only by recording a DDR by the police after believing the husband’s version without conducting the post-mortem. This was despite noticing that the woman had sustained serious head injury.

Elaborating on the procedure, Justice Sangwan asserted ordinarily the magistrate’s permission was taken while conducting inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC, if the body was given to the relatives without post-mortem. The matter was brought to Justice Sangwan’s notice after the husband filed a second petition for grant of regular bail in the FIR registered on April 27, 2019, for murder and disappearance of evidence under Sections 302 and 201 of the IPC. The petitioner’s counsel contended that the husband was in custody for the last more than three years and was not involved in any other case.

In a status report placed in the matter before Justice Sangwan’s Bench, the Investigating Officer — on the other hand — stated that the accused-husband had called his wife’s parents to inform them about the incident. Her family was told that the woman died after suffering a heart attack. Her head hit a sharp-edged object lying on the ground after the heart attack led to her fall from the roof.

It was further stated that the post-mortem was not conducted, as the family gave a statement that they did not want to go in for it. It was also submitted in the affidavit that a screwdriver and cotton swabs with blood stains were recovered from the petitioner during the police remand.

The FSL report said the screwdriver and the cotton swabs were having human blood, suggesting that the injuries were caused to the woman. Fixing the case for August last week, Justice Sangwan directed the petitioner’s release on interim bail.

Body handed over sans autopsy

• Injured woman’s body was handed over to kin without conducting autopsy after believing her husband’s version
• A screwdriver and cotton swabs with blood stains were recovered from the petitioner during the police remand

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