Cause of death: There’s no time limit for dead body disinterment: LHC

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court held that to know the cause of death, there is no time limit for disinterment of dead body and thereafter conducting postmortem examination over the same.

The court observed that it is the legitimate right of every person to know the cause of death of his beloved one.

The court passed this order in a petition of Zainab Bibi who approached the court against the decisions of the lower courts denying postmortem of her deceased daughter Robina Bibi.

The petitioner claimed that in laws of her daughter including Muhammad Aamer, Sakhi Muhammad, Nusrat Bibi and Shoukat Ali administered poisonous drugs to her daughter, who was pregnant, she ultimately died in hospital.

The court said the petitioner being mother is legal heir of the deceased who wants exhumation and autopsy of dead body of her daughter, therefore, she has every right to know cause of death of her deceased daughter.

The court also observed the question that whether death of a deceased person has occurred in natural way or otherwise could only be resolved after conducting autopsy and added that the disinterment of dead body of Robina well as autopsy over her dead body will secure ends of justice.

The court set aside the impugned orders and observed that impugned orders are not sustainable in the eyes of law.

The court, therefore, directed the magistrate Depalpur and medical superintendent DHQ Okara to make arrangements for disinterment of corpse of Robina and conducting postmortem examination over the same.

The court also directed the District Police Officer, Okara will ensure provision of police assistance as and when required by the magistrate for compliance of this order.

The court observed that exhumation of dead body and thereafter post mortem examination over the same would even save interest of the proposed accused persons because if post mortem examination report negates unnatural death, then it would exonerate them forever, the court added.

The court said that if dead body of any deceased person has been buried without carrying out autopsy and suspicion has been raised qua said death, then allowing disinterment/exhumation of dead body for the purpose of autopsy is a reasonable approach and even no time limit has been provided by the statute/medical jurisprudence, in this regard the court concluded.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025