MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Friday directed the State to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the death of a 24-year-old pregnant woman from Sivaganga district and ordered a fresh postmortem to be conducted by a Neutral Medical Board, while directing the preservation and transfer of all evidence connected with the case.
Justice L Victoria Gowri directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to constitute the SIT within 48 hours, comprising officers not below the rank of Superintendent of Police from the CB-CID or other specialised units. The Court further directed the investigating officer to hand over the entire case records, digital evidence and other materials, along with a detailed inventory, to the SIT.
The Court also directed the Director of Medical Education to constitute a Neutral Medical Board within 24 hours. Doctors who participated in the earlier postmortem examination have been barred from being part of the Board, the Judge said.
"Pending its constitution, the body has been directed to be preserved at the Government Medical College Hospital, Pudukkottai. The Medical Board has been directed to conduct a fresh postmortem within 48 hours of its constitution," Justice Gowri observed.
The court passed this order on a writ petition and a miscellaneous petition filed by S Fathima Beevi, mother of the deceased, Afrin, seeking the transfer of the investigation to an independent SIT and a fresh postmortem to ascertain the real cause of her death.
Advocate S.K. Venkat Raman, who appeared for the petitioner, said that when the family examined the postmortem video, they found that the postmortem examination had not been conducted in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the Court in R.M. Arun Swaminathan v. State case. The doctors also failed to report the injuries identified on the body in the postmortem report, the advocate said. Hence, they filed a miscellaneous petition seeking a fresh postmortem in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the Court.
In the writ petition, the victim's mother further stated that although an FIR was registered, the investigation had not been fair or transparent. She alleged that crucial evidence had not been properly preserved and that the authorities had failed to furnish the postmortem certificate, postmortem videography, Form No. 86, Accident Register, Inquest Report, RDO records, forensic reports and other medical documents despite repeated requests.
The authorities provided the postmortem video and certificate to the petitioner on June 29 2026 only after the intervention of this Court.
Advocate SK Venkat Raman, who appeared for the petitioner, said that when they examined the postmortem video, they found that the postmortem examination had not been conducted in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the Court in RM Arun Swaminathan v State case. The doctors also failed to report the injuries identified on the body in the postmortem report, the advocate said. Hence, they filed a miscellaneous petition seeking a fresh postmortem in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the Court.