No record of pending cases at forensic lab

But, none of the forensic department staff at these hospitals has a clear record of how many samples are still pending at the forensic laboratory.

“Post mortem is usually conducted within 24 hours of the arrival of an MLC case and the samples necessary for viscera tests are put in bottles, packed and labelled, and kept. But, it is up to the investigating officer to take it to the forensic laboratory for testing. Sometimes, we have had viscera samples for even two or three years waiting for police,” said a former mortuary attender at the Government Royapettah Hospital morgue. 

A forensic surgeon at Royapettah hospital said that their job is restricted to harvesting samples for viscera tests on request from the investigation officer and they issue the post-mortem report on arrival of the results. 

Speaking to DT Next , R Vasuki, Director of Forensic department, rejected claims that there was a delay in the turnaround time for viscera test samples. “There are 14 divisions in the department and we divert the samples to a particular division depending on the nature of samples. When it comes to viscera, we take up cases recommended by court or police officials even from districts. The number of cases being handled is a matter of confidence, though we have our own targets,” she said.