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Punjab Anatomy Rules, 1966

Published vide Punjab Government Notification No. GSR 176/PA-14/63/s.10/66 dated 11.8.1966.

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  1. Short title.- These rules may be called the Punjab Anatomy Rules, 1966.
  2. Definition.- In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires, -

(a) "Act" means the Punjab Anatomy Act, 1963, (Punjab Act 14 of 1963); and

(b) "Section" means a Section of the Act.

  1. Prescribed period for purposes of Section 2(5).- [Sections 2(5) and 10] The body of a deceased who has a near relative shall be considered to be unclaimed if the same is not claimed by any of his near relatives within a period of 12 hours of the death.
  2. Information of death to authorised officer.- [Sections 7 and 10(1)] (1) Any officer of the Department of Police or Public Health or any officer in the employ of a local authority or any village officer who comes to know of the death of any person, in any public place in an area in which he had no permanent place of residence, shall report the fact to authorised officer of that area with the least practicable delay.

Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing provisions, the responsibility for immediately reporting the fact to the authorised officer and also for assisting the authorised officer in making arrangements for the removal of the dead body to the approved institution shall be of the officer incharge of the Police Station having jurisdiction over the area or the village headman of the area as the case may be and in the meanwhile to prevent decay, he will send the dead body to mortuary of the nearest teaching Medical Institute where arrangements for its preservation are available.

When a person dies in a hospital or in a prison, the authority incharge of such hospital or prison shall immediately report the fact to the nearest relative mentioned in the records of the patient or the prisoner.

  1. Preservation of unclaimed dead bodies.- [Section 10(1)] All the dead bodies received in an approved institution shall be kept in the cold storage mortuary until they are removed to the Anatomy Department of such institution. In the Anatomy Deptt. they shall be kept under suitable conditions at the discretion of the officer-incharge of that department till these are put to any purpose specified in sub-section (1) or Section 5 or till these are claimed, as the case may be
  2. Disposal of decomposed bodies.- [Section 10(1)] Decomposed bodies which cannot be used for any purpose mentioned in sub-section (1) of Section 5 shall be returned to the authorised officer for disposal.
  3. Period within which dead bodies may be claimed.- [Section 10(2)] A dead body handed over to an approved institution may be claimed by a near relative of the deceased within a period of 96 hours of the death. No charges shall be payable by the near relative if the body is claimed within a period of 24 hours of the death. If the claim is made after the expiry of 24 hours the near relative will have to pay an amount of Rs. 20 towards preservation charges of the dead body.
  4. Authorised officer decision by summary enquiry.- [Sections 3 and 10(1)] The authorised officer shall, for the purposes of deciding any doubt or dispute whether a person is a near relative of the deceased, hold a summary inquiry. Such authorised officer need not record the oral evidence of witnesses but he shall maintain a memorandum of evidence and a list of representations and counter representation, if any, on the basis of which he arrives at the decision.
  5. Disposal of belongings of the deceased.- [Sections 3 and 10(1)] The belongings of an unclaimed body shall be disposed of by authorised officer in accordance with the normal provision of law.
  6. Savings.- [Section 10(1)] Nothing contained in these rules shall apply to cases where death has taken place under suspicious circumstances and the body is required for medico-legal examination. In such cases if the police have not taken possession of it themselves, the body shall be handed over to the police.