An exhumation is the examination of a dead body removed from its grave due to suspicion of death by poisoning or foul play. In Pakistan, exhumations require a court order from the District Magistrate, Coroner, or Sub-Divisional Magistrate. After exhumation, an autopsy is performed and samples are taken from the body, coffin, and surrounding earth for chemical examination. These samples include hair, nails, teeth, bones, heart, stomach, intestines, liver, spleen and kidney. While there is no time limit for exhumations in Pakistan and England, limits exist in other countries ranging from 10 to 30 years. Practical problems in crime detection in Pakistan include delayed investigations, lack of

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What is EXHUMATION , what procedure is adopted for carrying out an
EXHUMATION in Pakistna?
Definition:
It is an examination of a dead body taken out of the grave for the suspicion of death because
of poisoning or any other foul play.
Autopsies are performed on exhumed bodies in the following circumstances:
(a) In Criminal Cases: e.g., homicide, suspected homicide masked as suicide, suspicious
poisoning , death as a result of criminal abortion and malpractice.
(b) In Civil Cases: such as accidental death claim, liability for malpractice, survivorship and
inheritance claims or disputed identity.
MEDICAL JURISPRUDENCE LL.B. PART III
TOPIC: An Introduction to Medical Jurisprudence
1st Day Oct, 2016
Presented by: SM Zarkoon, Lecturer,
B.Sc. LL.B. LL.M. {Criminology & Law of Evidence}
University Law College Khojjak Road Quetta.

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PROCEDURE FOR EXHUMATION:
This should be carried out by the order of :
1. District Magistrate
2. Coroner
3. Sub-Divisional Magistrate.
AFTER EXHUMATION :
After exhumation is carried out successfully, the Post-Mortem takes place and has to be done
by Medical Officer and the following parts are sent for chemical examination:
(a) Earth taken from above the Coffin.
(b) Earth taken from below the Coffin.
(c) Earth taken from within the Coffin.
(d) Hair from head
(e) Hair from pubes.
(f) Nails, Teeth.
(g) Bones
(h) Heart
Can a police officer order for
Exhumation?
A police officer can not order for
exhumation.

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(i) Stomach
(j) Intestine
(k) Liver, spleen and kidney.
Time Limit for Examination:
In Pakistan and England : No Time limit.
France : 10 Years
Scotland : 20 Years
Germany : 30 Years.
Arsenic poisoning has a special significance because of its high content in various parts of the
body on post-mortem analysis of exhumed bodies.
PRACTICAL PROBLEMS IN CRIME DETECTION
IN PAKISTAN:
Following is the practical problem in crime detection in Pakistan.
(a) The investigating Police officer may not find time to reach the scene of death due to his
other engagements. Therefore time is lost in obtaining clues to the crime and
decomposition of the body starts making more difficult for the medical officer to give a
cause of death.
(b) The police officer lacks training in the filed of medical jurisprudence and therefore the
reports lack completeness. By the time the body reaches the medical officer the body is
under decomposition. Therefore the difficulty in detection of crime.
(c) Many times the relatives and friends of the deceased conceal information in order to
avoid their presence in the Court of Law.
(d) The geographical and climatic condition of the country favor early decomposition of the
body. The areas being large may make it difficult to take the body to the concerned
medical officer.
(e) Familial enmity leads to conspiracy and false implication of charge of murder.
(f) The forensic specialist usually does not visit the scene of the crime and thus misses
considerable information.

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