The Karnataka High Court asked the state government on Tuesday to install CCTV cameras in the mortuaries of all government and private hospitals in the state to prevent “offenses against the dead bodies of women.” The Karnataka government has been given six months to guarantee that the instructions are fulfilled.
The Karnataka High Court division bench stated during a hearing on a murder and necrophilia case, “It is brought to our notice that in most of the government and private hospitals where the dead bodies, especially of young women, are kept in the mortuary, the attendant who is appointed to guard them has sexual intercourse with the dead body.”
With this in mind, the Karnataka High Court stated that it is past time for the state government to guarantee that similar crimes do not occur in the future, therefore preserving the dignity of the deceased ladies.
“Unfortunately, there is no specific law against necrophilia in India,” the High Court division bench of Justice B Veerappa and Justice Venkatesh Naik said, urging the Centre to draft a new law criminalizing necrophilia in India.
In light of this, the high court has issued the following directives to the state government:
Within six months after the date of the decree, the state government must install CCTV cameras in the mortuaries of all government and private hospitals to prevent any crime against a woman’s dead corpse.
The government should guarantee that mortuary hygiene is maintained by mopping and cleaning the mortuary on a regular basis so that the dead are stored in a good, clean atmosphere.
Every government and private hospital should preserve clinical record confidentiality and have a procedure in place to protect information about the deceased, especially in instances that are stigmatized and socially criticized, such as HIV and suicide patients.
The general public or guests should not be allowed to enter the postmortem chamber.
Staff at both public and private hospitals must be educated on how to properly handle a deceased person’s body and how to interact with the deceased’s family.
