HC directive to preserve body of M.M. Lawrence till Thursday

The petitioner, Lawrence’s daughter, alleges that the decision of the hospital committee to hand over his body for medical research was biased

The Kerala High Court on Monday directed the Principal of Government Medical College, Ernakulam, to preserve the body of veteran CPI(M) leader M.M. Lawrence until Thursday, the next date of hearing on a writ petition by his daughter Asha Lawrence, challenging the decision of the hospital committee to hand over the body for medical research.

When the petition came up for hearing, Justice V.G. Arun asked the State attorney to inform the court whether an authority superior to the Principal could be directed to decide on the issue. The court orally observed that what was recorded in the hearing by the authorised officer of the medical college was one-sided. In fact, the Principal should have taken a decision on his own, instead of constituting an advisory committee. Besides, the Principal should have sought the permission of the court before appointing the committee to hear the issue. There were certain factors that had vitiated the hearing. Therefore, the matter required to be dealt with in detail.

The petitioner alleged that the decision of the committee was biased. No proper hearing was conducted. She and her two siblings — M.L. Sajeevan and Sujatha Boban — who signed affidavits expressing their consent to hand over the body to the college, were heard separately. The Principal refused to hold a comprehensive hearing involving all persons despite her repeated requests. She claimed that during the hearing her sister withdrew the consent given by her in the form of an affidavit.

Published - September 30, 2024 06:02 pm IST