Inquest
Definition
Legal enquiry into the cause and circumstances of a sudden, suspicious or unnatural death. In India conducted by the police under BNSS 2023 Section 194 or by an Executive Magistrate under Section 196.
- Legal basis (India)
- BNSS 2023 Sections 194 (police) and 196 (Executive Magistrate)
- Applies to
- Unnatural, suspicious, or sudden deaths
- Decides
- Whether criminal investigation is required
Common questions
What's the main purpose of an inquest?+
An inquest is a formal enquiry into an unnatural, suspicious, or sudden death to determine whether criminal investigation is needed. It examines the cause and circumstances before the body goes to post-mortem.
Who conducts inquests in India?+
In India, an inquest is conducted by a police officer under BNSS 2023 Section 194, or by an Executive Magistrate under Section 196. The responsible authority depends on the nature and circumstances of the death.
When does an inquest happen?+
An inquest takes place before the body is sent for post-mortem examination.
Related terms
- Asphyxia
- Mode of death due to interference with respiration and tissue oxygenation. Subtypes are anoxic, anaemic, stagnant and histotoxic.
- Brain Death (Brainstem Death)
- Irreversible cessation of all functions of the brainstem. Recognised in Indian law under the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act 1994...
- Cause of Death
- The disease or injury directly responsible for death. Recorded by the pathologist on the death certificate, it is distinct from manner of...
- Coma
- Mode of death due to failure of the brain (cerebral function). The patient is unconscious, unresponsive, with depressed or absent reflexes.
- Death
- Permanent and irreversible cessation of the vital functions of the body. Traditionally tested by stoppage of heart, lungs and brain; modern practice...
- Dowry Death
- Death of a woman within seven years of marriage by burns, bodily injury or other than normal circumstances with cruelty for dowry....
- Dying Declaration
- Statement of a person about cause of death or circumstances of the transaction resulting in death. Admissible under BSA 2023 Section 26...
- FAR
- First Accident Report filed by the investigating officer at a road traffic accident scene; FAR plus MFR (Final Form) feed the chargesheet.
- Forensic Medicine
- The medical specialty that applies clinical and pathological knowledge to legal questions, especially cause and manner of death, antemortem injuries, identification, and...
- Hit-and-Run
- Causing death by rash and negligent driving and leaving without reporting. BNS 106(2) prescribes up to 10 years imprisonment plus fine where...
- Homicide
- Killing of a human being by another, classified under BNS 100 to 106 as culpable homicide and murder, with exceptions like grave...
- Magisterial Inquest
- Inquest conducted by an Executive Magistrate under BNSS Section 198 in custodial death, jail death, dowry death within seven years of marriage,...
Explained in these topics
- Criminal Investigations: Deaths, Assaults, Poisoning, AccidentsInquiry into apparent cause of unnatural death by a police officer (BNSS 194) or Executive Magistrate (BNSS 196) before the body is sent for post-mortem.
- Forensic Medicine and Medico-Legal Investigation: Inquest TypesA judicial or administrative enquiry into an unnatural, suspicious or sudden death, conducted to decide whether the death requires criminal investigation.
- Modes and Manner of Death: Forensic ThanatologyLegal enquiry into the cause and circumstances of a sudden, suspicious or unnatural death. In India conducted by the police under BNSS 2023 Section 194 or by a...