Delhi HC asks hospitals to videograph autopsies, preserve DNA of people killed in violence

Delhi High Court on Friday asked government hospitals in the national capital not to dispose of any unidentified bodies till March 11 and to conduct videography of post-mortem of bodies, which were recovered after the recent violence in the city.

A division bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and IS Mehta also asked government hospitals to preserve DNA samples of bodies and listed the matter for further hearing for March 11.

The court, had on Thursday, directed Delhi Police to publish details including the photographs of all unidentified bodies kept in government mortuaries after the riots in north-east Delhi on their official website.

It had also directed the police to publish specific information including post-mortem and DNA samples on the official website.

The bench was hearing several petitions related to missing peoples post the violence, including one named Hamza.

Ansari Mohd Arif, the brother-in-law of Hamza had filed a habeas corpus petition in Delhi High Court after he went missing during the recent riots in Delhi's north-east district. Delhi Government, on the other hand, has assured that it will facilitate the petitioner to visit hospital mortuaries.

This comes after at least 53 people lost their lives while around 200 people sustained serious injuries in the north-east Delhi violence recently.