First Postmortem report is about physical examination of body.
The doctors check dead body and write in a document every details about injuries seen on body. They also measure size and depth of injuries.
Then these injuries are examined to see whether they were inflicted on victim when victim was alive or whether these injuries were inflicted on body when the victim was already dead.
Then samples of certain parts of body are taken and sent to laboratory.
Some parts of these are checked with chemicals to trace presence of poison or medicines.
This is the second part of Postmortem Report.
There are some poisons which disappear from body within few hours after death. Delay in taking samples of body can destroy evidence of such poison.
Some samples of these body are preserved for sometime. Because if someone doubts postmortem report, second postmortem report is made.
Use of Postmortem Reports in Courts.
The court relies more on statement of doctor in court. The postmortem report is mainly for use to support what doctor says in court.
Lack of Guidelines to Doctors on how to prepare postmortem.
I have not come across official guidelines notified by Ministries for guidance of all doctors.
Digital videography
The digital videography is now very cheap and easy to make.
It could be easily made mandatory that 1) Postmortem should be done within 6 hours after body is brought to hospital so far as practicable and 2) Each postmortem examination should be videographed.
MOST IMPORTANT GUIDELINE NEEDED
Whenever doctors find an unnatural death, a copy of first postmortem should be sent to Magistrate within 24 hours.
Whenever doctors find an unnatural death, a copy of first postmortem should be sent to Magistrate within 24 hours.
This is necessary that many unnatural deaths are wound up by police without registering FIR.
Forwarding of Postmortem report to court in all cases of unnatural death, will ensure that police files FIR in all cases.
Haresh Raichura
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