MP High Court orders re-postmortem of man's body after family suspects murder

 The Madhya Pradesh High Court has ordered a re-postmortem of a man's body after his family members approached the court expressing suspicion that he was murdered.

In the order passed on Friday, the high court directed the Balaghat police to conduct a re-postmortem of the body of the man, who was buried in Loharidih village in Kabirdham district of Chhattisgarh after he was found hanging in September this year.

"The concerned Inquiry Officer of the case shall visit the burial place and take out the dead body in the presence of the appellants. Thereafter, re-postmortem will be done and the report to this effect shall be placed on the record," the HC said in its order.

A division bench comprising the high court's Chief Justice S K Kait and Justice Vivek Jain disposed of the appeal with this direction.

The deceased Shiv Prasad Sahu's minor daughter Laleshwari Sahu and mother-in-law Ramoutin Bai filed the appeal challenging a single judge bench order of October 4, 2024 that dismissed their petition for re-postmortem of his body, the appellants's counsel Shashank Shekhar said.

The family members suspect that Shiv Prasad Sahu was murdered and to know the truth, re-postmortem be done, the counsel said.

Sahu was found hanging on September 15 this year in a forest area near village Bijatola, Railwahi in Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh, he said.

Sahu was a resident of Loharidih village in Kabirdham district of Chhattisgarh located adjacent the border of Balaghat where his body was found hanging, Shekhar said.

After the postmortem, the Balaghat police had handed over the body of the deceased to his family members, the counsel said.

On November 5, the Balaghat police (Madhya Pradesh) submitted a status report "whereby it is stated that during the inquiry the police has investigated the matter and registered the First Information Report at Police Station-Birsa District Balaghat for the offences punishable under Section 103(1) 238, 3(5) and 61(2) of the BNS 2023 against Dinesh Kumar Sahu, Roman Sahu, Rakhilal Hirwane and Takchand Patel," the court order said.

"It is further stated that the police have found material during the investigation and they have found prima facie involvement of the accused in the aforesaid offences. The investigation is still continuing," the court order stated.