Published Dec 11, 2022 | 8:29 AM ⚊ Updated Dec 11, 2022 | 10:45 AM
The Madras High Court wants the post-mortem examination of the body of a Tamil Nadu farmer belonging who died under suspicious circumstances. (Creative Commons)
The Madras High Court on Saturday, 10 December, directed the deans of the Government Medical College and Hospitals in Madurai, Tiruchirapalli, and Thanjavur to form a panel of doctors to conduct a postmortem on the body of a farmer belonging to the Ariyalur district, who died under suspicious circumstances.
Making an urgent sitting at his residence in RA Puram, Justice G Chandrasekharan gave a direction to this effect, while passing interim orders on a writ petition from one G Karthikeyan, a close relative of Sembulingam, the deceased farmer.
According to the petitioner, police personnel attached to Vikkiramangalam police station descended on his maternal uncle Sembulingam’s house on 25 November this year, in connection with a case registered under the SC/ST Act against his son-in-law Arun Kumar.
As Arun Kumar was not available, the personnel abused Sembulingam, his daughter, and wife with filthy language and severely attacked them.
They were admitted to a government hospital and later shifted to a private hospital in Tiruchy, where Sembulingam died on 8 December.
Alleging that the local police were biased and would not conduct a proper inquiry, Karthikeyan preferred the present petition to transfer the probe into the case to the CBI. His interim prayer is to order a postmortem on his uncle’s body by a team of doctors of their choice.
The judge directed the deans of the three government hospitals to constitute a team of experts in the field. They should conduct the postmortem by Sunday (11 December) afternoon. The postmortem should be videographed and the close relatives of Sembulingam should accept the body after the postmortem and hold the last rites without making any hue and cry.
Regarding the main prayer of the CBI probe, the judge ordered notice to the authorities concerned and adjourned the matter by a week.
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