For Education purpose

1. 5. INQUEST
DR.ABDISHAKUR
DR.ABDISHAKUR
24 November 2021

2. INQUEST
Definition:
 an inquest is an enquiry into the cause of death.
OR
 an inquest is a legal inquiry into the circumstances and
the cause of death of a deceased person in cases of
sudden, suspicious and unnatural deaths.
 The purpose is to find out:
 who the deceased was?
 Where?
 when? and
 how they died?.
DR.ABDISHAKUR
24 November 2021 2/15

3. DR.ABDISHAKUR
24 November 2021 3/15
INQUEST
Police
Inquest
Coroner
Inquest
Magistrate
Inquest
Medical
Examiner
System

4. 1. POLICE INQUEST
 Conducted by a competent
and authorized police officials.
 The investigating officer
reaches the scene of the crime
and takes the stoke of the
situation.
If the victim is dead the
investigating officer seals the
scene of crime and if needed
sends requisition for
photographer, fingerprint
experts, ballistic experts, ETC
to collect evidence.
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5.  The police officer making the
inquest is known as
investigating officer(I.O.)
 Before the inquest is done by
police it should be informed to
the executive magistrate of
the area.
 The inquest report prepared by
the police is known as
Panchnama.
panch respectable person
nama a written document.
 In case of any doubt
regarding the cause of
death or in case of any
unnatural the body of
deceased is sent by
investigating officer for
autopsy to the nearest
government hospital with
the copy of inquest report.
DR.ABDISHAKUR
24 November 2021 5/15

6. 2. MAGISTRATE INQUEST
 This is empowered by a district magistrate, sub- divisional
magistrate or any executive magistrate
 In case of any death a magistrate may conduct an inquest
instead of or in addition to the police inquest .
 Magistrate inquest is conducted in case of Death in prison:
 Death in police custody and while under police interrogation
 Death due to police firing
 Death in a psychiatric hospital
 Exhumation.
DR.ABDISHAKUR
24 November 2021 6/15

7. 3. CORONER’S INQUEST
 Coroner used to be a special officer appointed by the
government to inquire into causes of unnatural deaths.
 The Coroner was required to have a legal qualification and
is usually first class magistrate, or a transferred metropolitan
magistrate (all of whom must have a minimum of five years
experience in the legal field).
 After conducting an enquiry into the cause of death, if the
Coroner found ample evidence against some suspect, he
would forward a copy of his inquisition report to the
Commissioner of Police.
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24 November 2021 7/15

8. 4. Medical Examiner system
This system is prevalent in
the USA where a forensic
pathologist is appointed as
medical examiner.
 He conducted the
postmortem and usually visits
The scene of crime.
 Being a doctor, he able to
easily correlate the injuries
with circumstances
 This system is considered
superior to a police inquest.
DR.ABDISHAKUR
24 November 2021 8/15

9. ttt
DR.ABDISHAKUR
24 November 2021 9