A writ petition has been filed in the Madras High Court seeking a direction to the State Government to permit cremation, without insisting upon burial alone, of all unclaimed and unidentified bodies lying in mortuaries spread across the State.
Jeevathma Kaingariya Trust, a registered public trust represented by its managing trustee M.V. Ramani of West Mambalam here, has filed the case claiming that cremation was the safest and easiest way of disposal of bodies, rather than burial.
In his affidavit, Mr. Ramani stated that the trust was formed in 2004 with spiritual guidance of former senior pontiff of Kanchi Kamkoti Mutt Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Swamigal. Since its inception, the trust had been accepting donations and providing money to the police for performing the final rites of unidentified and unclaimed bodies. What began with just ₹600 a body had now increased to ₹1,000 a body due to price rise, he said.
After complying with all legal formalities including observance of the mandatory waiting period and taking of photographs of the dead bodies besides taking samples of hair, nails, bone and skin, the police would approach the petitioner trust for financial assistance.
“Such financial assistance is required to properly wrap the dead bodies and transport them from mortuaries to the burial ground. There, the dead bodies are always buried. All the incidental expenses are paid for by the police with financial assistance rendered by the trust,” the affidavit read.
The trust contended that burial was not the safest and easiest way of disposal of bodies since it involved manual labour to dig the pits and there was also the threat of the undertakers being afflicted with diseases when they handle such bodies.
On the other hand, electric crematoriums pave way for easiest and safest mode of disposal of the bodies and hence the government must be directed to permit cremation of hundreds of unclaimed dead bodies that were lying in the mortuaries for months together, the trust insisted.