Panchnama superior to post-mortem8217;

After Malwankar8217;s sister, Suhasini Wainganvadekar, identified his body, a panchnama prepared by constable Kane of the Saki Naka police station, stated Malwankar8217;s death as unnatural8217;. The spot where Malwankar8217;s body was found was splattered with blood.

8220;There was a 4.5 inch bleeding gash on the forehead. The left arm and left leg appeared broken. There were injuries in the left arm pit and left knee,8221; stated the report. These injuries were confirmed by Malvankar8217;s sister.

However, the post-mortem performed by Dr B P Hankare,medical officer at the Rajawadi Municipal hospital, said Malwankar8217;s body bore no external injuries, and stated the cause of death as 8220;bilateral pulmonary tuberculosis TB8221;.

This discrepancy between the two reports was noticed by the Coroner8217;s court. Following this, a team comprising Rajawadi Coroner V U Malu, the five-member jury and the police surgeon G V Upe visited the spot of Malwankar8217;s death. The team found it impossible that a person sustained no external injuries after falling from the hill8217;s steep edge.

The jury ruled that the cause of death should be stated as multiple injuries in a person suffering from bilateral pulmonary TB, as Malwankar had been suffering from TB for the last 10 years. The court also ruled that the presence of such injuries could not be left unnoticed due to oversight. The proper procedure for post-mortem has not been followed by the doctor, added the ruling.