Uttar Pradesh Issues Strict 4-Hour Deadline for Post-Mortems to Ease Families’ Trauma

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government has rolled out a new directive to streamline post-mortem procedures across the state, setting a maximum time limit of four hours for completion of autopsies. The order, issued on Friday by the state health department under the instructions of Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Brajesh Pathak, aims to reduce the distress faced by bereaved families.

According to the guidelines, once a body arrives at a post-mortem house, the examination must be wrapped up within four hours. In districts with heavy caseloads, chief medical officers have been told to deploy multiple teams of doctors to avoid delays.

The state has also reiterated that post-mortems after sunset should generally be avoided, especially in cases involving murder, suicide, sexual offences, severely mutilated remains, or deaths under suspicious circumstances, unless there are exceptional reasons requiring urgent examination.