The Chief Judicial Magistrate, Coimbatore, is likely to appoint a judicial magistrate on Monday under Section 176 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to examine the body of T. Palanisamy, an accountant employed by lottery kingpin Santiago Martin, who was found dead in a pond under mysterious circumstances on May 3.
The magistrate, upon examining the body, will submit a report to the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), giving his/her opinion on whether a re-post mortem, as sought by the son of the deceased, is required.
Palanisamy’s kin had alleged that his body had several (injury) marks. They claimed he was subjected to third-degree torture by men who claimed to be sleuths from the Income Tax Department. They also wanted the investigation to look into whether Mr. Martin’s staff had any role in the accountant’s death.
Palanisamy’s son Rohin Kumar claimed that Thursday’s order of the Madras High Court, directing an examination of the body by a judicial magistrate, also permitted the kin of the deceased to see the body.
Though Mr. Kumar had prayed for a CB-CID investigation into the case, the court rejected the plea. The body of the deceased is currently kept at the mortuary of the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital as the bereaved family refused to accept it after the autopsy on May 5.
Mr. Kumar told The Hindu that the family was hopeful that the magistrate would submit a report recommending a re-postmortem to the CJM.