"Inquest" Forensic medicine notes

Here, you find the easy and short notes of one of the important topic of Forensic medicine 2nd year. good luck.

1. Inquest
Definition:
An inquest is a legal inquiry or investigation in the cases of sudden, suspicious and unnatural
death to find out the cause of the death.
There are three types of inquest:
1. Police inquest
•The inquest is held under the section 174 CRPC.
•This inquest is conducted by police officer who is called investigating officer.
•On receipt of investigation regarding the suspicious death the investigation officer proceeds
to the place where dead body is lying ; In the presence of two or more responsible people of
that area and he prepares an investigation report or inquest report called Panchnama.
•This panchnama includes the description of scene of the crime, apparent cause of the death,
presence of any injuries over the body.
•This inquest report is sent to the nearest magistrate officer.

2. Magistrate inquest
•This inquest is held under section 176 CRPC.
•The magistrate is empowered to hold or conduct inquest in the following circumstances.
(1) death in police custody
(2) death in jail
(3) death in police firing
(4) exhumation
(5) dowry death
(6) death in mental hospital
•Magistrate inquest is superior than police inquest.
•District magistrate, sub-divisional magistrate and executive magistrate are empowered.
3. Coroner's inquest
•Under coroner's act 1871 previously it was held at Kolkata and Mumbai.
•However it is abolished and discontinued first from Kolkata and then Mumbai.
•A coroner was an officer like first class magistrate or doctor or lawyer appointed by the state
government.
•Coroner was empowered to inquire all the suspicious death and had power to order for the
exhumation and issued a warrant to the concerned accused.
Police inquest. Magistrate inquest
1. It is conducted by police. It is conducted by magistrate.

2. 2. It is inferior. It is superior.
3. In cases like crime, apparent. In cases like death in police
cause of death presence of any. custody, jail or mental
injuries over the body. hospital, police firing,
. Exhumation and dowry death.
4. Cannot order for Exhumation. Can order for Exhumation.
5. Under section 174 CRPC. Under section 176 CRPC.