Kallakurichi student postmortem: SC refuses to entertain plea

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to entertain the plea of the victim's father in the Kallakurichi girl death matter and asked him to move the concerned High Court with his plea seeking to conduct a re-postmortem by including one forensic expert of choice of the petitioner.

When the apex court refused to entertain the plea of the victim's father, his counsel withdrew the petition. A bench of justices BR Gavai and Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha granted liberty to the victim's father to move the Madras High Court with his prayer.

During the hearing, the court also suggested the lawyer of the victim's father bring his request to the notice of the HC and urged it to conduct a third postmortem. The father of the victim has moved the SC challenging the Madras High Court order and sought the inclusion of the doctor of his choice in the panel of doctors constituted for re-postmortem.

In the petition moved by advocate Rahul Shyam Bhandari, he has stated that by way of the impugned order dated July 18 2022 of Madras HC, the prayer for transfer of investigation by the CBCID was accepted by the High Court as well as re-postmortem of the deceased body by the team of new doctors however the relief to conduct postmortem by including one forensic expert of choice of the petitioner has been denied primarily on the basis that the matter has gained lot of public outcry and violence has erupted in the state surrounding this case.

According to the petition, the petitioner has absolutely no role to play in the massive protest and violence taking place in the area concerning the death of his daughter and he is only concerned with the fair investigation and result in the death of his minor daughter. The Madras HC order had earlier rejected the victim's father's plea seeking to include a medical expert of their choice in the team which will conduct re- postmortem.

Violence had broken out in Kallakurichi as protesters set ablaze buses and school property demanding justice for the dead student. On Sunday, more than a thousand people staged a protest in front of the school demanding justice for the student's death.

Protesters pelted stones at the police van. According to Police officials, "The deceased girl died by suicide on Tuesday night in the school premises and there was a note found in which it was alleged that two teachers from the school tortured her, forcing her to study all the time." The student's death case was registered under section 174 (unnatural death).