Forensic Research & Technology

Biography

Biography: Harsh Sharma

Abstract

Medico-legal expertise is crucial in death case investigations. It begins with body examination and evidence collection at the scene and proceeds with history, physical examination, laboratory tests and diagnosis – in short, the broad ingredients of a doctor’s treatment of a living patient. The key goal is to provide objective evidence of cause, timing, and manner of death for adjudication by the criminal justice system. In homicide, suspected homicide and other suspicious or obscure cases, the medico legal expert should visit the scene of the death before the body is removed. Local practice varies but any doctor claiming to be a forensic medicine expert should always make himself/herself available to accompany the police to the locus of the death. In many cases, the scene investigation can be more important than the autopsy. A thorough and complete investigation commonly leads to the proper diagnosis of the cause and manner of death prior to an autopsy. The present study highlights the role of medico legal experts at death scene for effective crime scene forensic investigation at the incident place, where they can suggest the actual facts for criminal justice system. Some of these facts may disappear when body is shifted for autopsy examination and directive tips for effective crime scene investigation applying their expertise. Interesting findings of the two cases where looks were deceptive and results were surprising would be discussed during the presentation. Such results would have been difficult to achieve if not impossible without the co-ordination and teamwork.