Madras HC constitutes expert team tomconduct re-postmortem in case

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court constituted a team of experts and directed them to re-examine the mortal remains of the suspect, who died suspiciously after being arrested in the case of elephant poaching at Dharmapuri.

Justice GK Ilanthiraiyan found prima facie in the petition moved by the wife of the deceased suspect alleging custodial torture, hence the judge directed to conduct the re-postmortem.

The judge constituted a team with Gokula Ramanan, HOD, Forensic Medicine, Mohan Kumaramangalam Government Medical College, Salem, Chief, HOD, Department of Forensic Medicine, Krishnagiri Government Medical College and N Karthikeyan, Senior Assistant Professor, Chengalpattu Government Medical College.

The court directed the team to conduct the re-postmortem on April 10, following the guidelines already issued by the HC and videotape the entire postmortem. It was also directed to submit the re-postmortem report before the court on April 15 and adjourned the matter for further proceedings. Further, it was directed to keep the dead body in the mortuary until further orders.

The petitioner S Chitra from Kongarapatti, Dharmapuri, moved the petition alleging that her husband Senthil was taken into custody in the elephant poaching case and was detained illegally. She also alleged that her husband was physically tortured by the forest officials due to which he succumbed, she said and sought the court's direction to transfer the investigation to CBI or any other competent investigating agency and grant compensation.

On Tuesday, according to the court's order, J Sabapathy, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Pennagaram physically appeared before the court and submitted the postmortem report.

Senior counsel S Anantha Narayanan for the petitioner contended that the nails of the deceased were removed from his hands and there is a sign for custodial torture, but the submitted post-mortem report is silent about it.

Further to cover up the custodial death, the forest and police department set up the deceased body as he had committed suicide after escaping from the hands of the respondents, by planting a gun near his dead body.

On March 1, a forest guard found an elephant died in a burnt state at the interstate border of Tamil Nadu-Karnataka near the Cauvery river in Dharmapuri. Based on the information given by the forest guard, the anti-poaching unit rushed to the spot and did a preliminary investigation, which revealed that the tusks of the elephant were removed. Later reports regarding the investigation were filed before the judicial magistrate, Pennagaram.

Followed by that, the forest range officer Pennagaram took the custody of the petitioner's husband, father-in-law and brother-in-law, alleging that they had hunted the tusker.

The petitioner alleged that they were beaten up black and blue by the forest officials. On March 18, she made a complaint in this regard.

The next day, the respondents communicated with the petitioner and informed her that her husband had escaped from their custody.

After a few days, on April 4, his dead body was found in a decomposed state in the forest area with a country-made gun, near his village.