Chennai: Refusing to interfere in the conduct of autopsy of Ramkumar, the man who killed Chennai techie S Swathi and then committed suicide on Monday, by a three-member doctor team in Royapettah Government hospital, the Madras High Court has included another doctor to conduct the post-mortem on Ramkumar’s body.
When the petition filed by Ramkumar’s father, R Paramasivam came up for hearing, the first bench of Chief Justice S.K. Kaul and Justice R. Mahadevan, nominated another doctor from Government Stanley Hospital to conduct the autopsy.
In the petition, Paramasivam has alleged that his son had not committed suicide and he was murdered by the jail authorities with assistance from police personnel. His fear was that if post-mortem is conducted on his body by dean, Royapettah Government hospital, the truth will not be revealed. He sought direction to restrain the dean from conducting post-mortem on Ramkumar’s body. He also sought direction to constitute a special team of doctors to conduct post-mortem on Ramkumar’s body with full video coverage and in accordance with medico-legal procedure.
The public prosecutor submitted that normally post-mortem is performed by one of the doctors of forensic sciences wing. However, in this, a team been constituted consisting of Dr Selvakumar, professor, Dr Manikandaraja, assistant professor, forensic science, KMC and Dr K.V. Vinod, assistant professor, forensic science, KMC, on deputation at Government Royapettah Government hospital.
He said “The team has been now at Royapettah Government hospital, waiting for directions from this court, so that post-mortem could be done”. The bench said there can be no automatic presumption to discredit the team of government doctors headed by Dr Selvakumar. In the absence of any credible material placed by the petitioner, this court is of the view that confidence should be reposed on those doctors that they will discharge their duties in a free and fair manner, unbiased and uninfluenced by any external factors.
Refusing to accept Paramasivam’s plea, the bench nominated Dr Balasubramanian, professor, forensic medicine, Stanely Government Hospital as a member in the team.
Tension prevails at Royapettah GH
Normal life was affected in Royapettah, a commercial pocket in Chennai, as supporters of Ramkumar and fringe outfits thronged the Royapettah hospital for the second consecutive day. “Deployment of large police squads had adversely affected our business since Sunday evening and its seems that our business will be affected for the third consecutive day till the body of Ramkumar leaves Royapettah morque,” rue local traders.
“Some of us were asked to close the shops by police on Sunday evening as tension prevailed in the area and we were left with no other option, but to close the nearby shops and hotels. Within hours, barricades and large deployment of police arrived making the zone a no parking area and this is the situation for the past two days, so where is the business”, said a hotelier requesting anonymity.
“At least 30 small outlets and shops have been affected because of the tension. Traffic is terrible during peak hours”, said a tea shop owner located opposite Royapettah government hospital.
“The media with live coverage and their parked vans add more congestion to the locality and the visits of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi cadres and Tamizhaga Munnetra Kazhagam founder John Pandian has added tension and traffic in Royapettah”, said Madras high court advocate N. Udayakumar, who regularly commutes via Royapettah.
