Medicolegal Death Investigation in India: An Overview

Abstract

Every suspicious death in India is investigated, with one of the objectives being determining the manner of death. The autopsy is an integral part of the death investigation. Death investigations are accomplished in the form of inquests, which are conducted and directed by the police or, in some cases, by a magistrate. The police and the autopsy physician generally share their findings before opinions are reached, and the courts rely on autopsy physician testimony. In general, the autopsy physician opines only on the cause of death. In the Indian legal and medicolegal systems, manner of death is determined by the police. Unlike in the United States, where the certifier of death must record a manner of death on the death certificate, in India the manner of death is largely a legal (rather than medical) determination.