Headlines
Madras HC orders to preserve six woodcutter's bodies
Chennai, April 10
The Madras High Court
declined on Friday to pass any orders on the petition for re-autopsy
filed by the wife of a person who was shot dead by Andhra Pradesh Police
on April 7, but directed six woodcutters' bodies to be preserved.
Hearing
the petition for ordering another post-mortem examination of the
bodies of six alleged rare red sanders wood smugglers, the high court
asked the petitioner to approach the Andhra Pradesh High Court or the
Supreme Court.
The court ordered the six bodies to be kept in mortuary till further orders.
Twenty
alleged smugglers were shot dead by an Andhra Pradesh Police squad on
April 7 in the Seshachalam forest of Chittoor district while allegedly
cutting the rare red sanders trees.
On a petition filed by
Muniammal, wife of Sasikumar, one of those killed in the shooting, the
high court said it could not order re-post mortem examination as the
matter is before the Andhra Pradesh High Court and a Public Interest
Litigation is pending in the apex court.
The court ordered preservation of the six bodies till April 17 when the matter would be heard again.
On
April 9, the court said it would not object if the Tamil Nadu
government decides to go for another autopsy based on a representation
from Muniammal.
Counsel for the Tamil Nadu government said they have no objection to the court ordering another post-mortem examination.
According to Muniammal, her husband's body bore injury marks.