TN girl suicide: SC declines father's plea to stay 2nd post-mortem

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to stall the second postmortem of a schoolgirl, whose death in her hostel on July 13 triggered massive arson and violence in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi district.

The girl's father mentioned his appeal against the Madras high court order, requesting the three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana to stay the second autopsy for the time being. The father complained that his request for the inclusion of a doctor of his choice in the second autopsy was turned down. "The second post-mortem is expected to be conducted today. I have filed a special leave petition against the high court order. Please, stay the high court order on post-mortem," the lawyer, representing the father, urged the court.

But the bench, which also included justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli, asked why the Supreme Court should intervene when the high court is already monitoring the matter. "Don't you trust the high court? Why should we say anything? The high court is already monitoring it. We won't pass any order," the bench told the lawyer, appearing for the girl's father, P Ramalingam.

Back in Tamil Nadu, the state government had approached Madras High Court after the girl's parents were found unavailable for the post-mortem examination. The high court directed them to proceed with the autopsy without the parents' presence.

The court told the police to let the parents join the proceedings if they came. A senior police officer said, "We have requested the dean of Kallakurichi Medical College to conduct the post-mortem."

The high court had yesterday ordered a repeat autopsy, but turned down the parents' request for including a doctor of their choice in the medical panel. The court had permitted a parent and lawyer to be present during the autopsy.

On July 13, the girl allegedly jumped off the third floor of her hostel on the private residential school's campus in Kallakurichi, about 260 km from Chennai. Police said a note found in her room said she was struggling in several subjects and that her teachers humiliated her.

The girl's family has alleged that the teachers had mentally harassed her. They have also alleged that a wall near the spot where she was found dead had the mark of a bloodied palm, and claimed that this points to a physical struggle.

Police have arrested two teachers and three senior officials of the school -- the principal, the secretary, and the correspondent.