Girl's death due to rabies: HC orders post mortem

The Delhi High Court today ordered immediate postmortem on the body of a girl, who died of rabies, after her family members approached it complaining that neither autopsy has been done nor her body handed over.
The court had earlier intervened and asked the Health department of Delhi government to order Max Super Speciality Hospital at Patparganj not to discharge 23-year-old Kavita Joshi from the hospital.
The family members today moved the court again after her untimely demise alleging that the hospital and other authorities have neither performed the postmortem since Friday nor have allowed them to pay last respect to the departed soul.

Justice Manmohan, who issued notice to Delhi government, Police Commissioner and others including the hospital for tomorrow, was informed by the counsel for the government that the postmortem would be conducted today itself.
Zubeda Begum, appearing for Delhi government, also assured the court that the family members will be allowed to see the body before the postmortem.
Joshi had been on ventilator since May 5 after being bitten by a dog.

The plea, filed through lawyers R K Saini and Awadh Kaushik, has sought a direction to Delhi government to form a board of doctors in consultation with Delhi Medical Council to probe into the death Joshi and "to ascertain as to whether there have been lapses in her medical treatment while being admitted with the hospital."

"A writ of mandamus directing and commanding the respondent No. 1 and 2 (Govt and police) to conduct the postmortem ... By a board of government doctors in which no doctor of Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital be a member and thereafter, to hand over her body to her family without any further delay," it said.
The plea has also sought a direction to authorities to videograph the postmortem process.