New regulations on post-mortems conducted to determine the cause of death in unexplained death cases have come into effect.
The regulation was formulated under the Criminal Procedure Act, and the police have been given the power to enforce the regulation. The regulations have come into force over 1.5 years after the deadline for drafting the rules.
The purpose of the regulations is to prescribe the procedures to be followed by the police in conducting post-mortem examination of a person who passed away in connection to a criminal offense and ascertain the truth of unexplained deaths.
Types of homicide cases requiring post-mortem
Deaths caused by accidents
Death caused by alleged suicide
Intentional homicide
Death believed to be caused by negligence
Unexplained death
Death believed to have occurred by some other cause than a natural cause
According to the regulation, the body on which the post-mortem is to be performed must be moved from one place to another in a special body bag - a cadaver pouch. If such a bag is not available, the body must be covered with a clean cloth. The regulation also states that the body must be carried in such a way that it does not cause further damage to the body and does not contaminate any evidence obtained from the body.
The post-mortem must be conducted in local centers recognized by the Government of Maldives and in foreign centers approved by the country's government. According to the regulation, only the Commissioner of Police can approve a post-mortem.
If no further analysis is required after the post-mortem, the body must be handed over to the deceased's family. If the deceased is a foreigner, the embassy of the person's country must be notified through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The regulation further states that if the post-mortem is being conducted on a body of an unidentified person, it should not be carried out until the body is given an identification number and the information is recorded in a special database.
