Madras HC directs Tamil Nadu govt to form SIT in pregnant woman death case

Madras High Court directed Tamil Nadu government to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the death of a 24-year-old pregnant woman from Sivaganga district.

Justice L Victoria Gowri ordered the Director General of Police (DGP) to constitute the SIT within 48 hours with officers not below the rank of Superintendent of Police from CB-CID or other specialized units.

The court directed the Director of Medical Education to constitute a “Neutral Medical Board” within 24 hours, excluding doctors who conducted the earlier postmortem, to perform a fresh postmortem within 48 hours.

The body of the deceased, Afrin, is to be preserved at Government Medical College Hospital, Pudukkottai pending constitution of the board.

The order came on a petition by Afrin’s mother, S Fathima Beevi, who alleged dowry harassment and demanded an independent investigation into the death within five months of marriage.