Unclaimed dead bodies be given decent disposal: SC

The Supreme Court today said unclaimed bodies found in public place be disposed of in a decent manner and asked the Home Ministry to file a response on how to handle such bodies found in railway areas.
A bench headed by Justice B S Chauhan asked the Ministry to file the response within four weeks after the railways virtually refused to act on the issue saying it is government responsibility.
"Dead person must be given some respect," the bench said while asking the government to file the response.
Earlier, the railways had contended the disposal of unclaimed bodies found in railway areas was the responsibility of Government Railway Police (GRP), the operational cost of which was borne by the Centre and states.

The bench was hearing a PIL filed by Vikas Chandra Guddu Baba who had alleged unclaimed bodies were dumped into rivers by the authorities.
He pleaded with the court to frame guidelines for disposing of the unclaimed dead bodies.