Critics and Sceptics of Medico-legal Autopsy Guidelines In Indian Context

Medicine is governed by set code of principles which are followed by every Medical professional during his medical practice. Doctors dealing with medico-legal work, bear a further burden of not only abiding by these rules but also by being vested with deciding authority in such matters. World over, medico-legal authorities issue guidelines and rules, which vary in procedural content from nation to nation. In India, the basic guidelines are almost the same, though differences in their applications differ from state to state. Comparison of both Indian and Western scenarios on this issue lay bare a basic difference. Uniform medico-legal guidelines and standard protocols make medico-legal work less complicated in practice. In India, however, stark differences exist even amongst states as far as application of medico-legal guidelines is concerned. Consequently, no comprehensive unanimity exists in medico-legal work in India. This paper attempts to make a critical and sceptical analysis of this problem with a few suggestions for the streamlining of medico-legal work in India.