Court orders to preserve body specimens of Dinesh Schaffter

• Verdict of the inquest into Dinesh Schaffer’s death is to be delivered on March 8

By Lakmal Sooriyagoda   

Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court today ordered the Colombo Chief Judicial Medical Officer and Government Analyst to preserve the blood samples and body specimens of businessman Dinesh Schaffter for future medico legal action. 

Additional Magistrate Rajindra Jayasuriya made this order pursuant to a request made by the lawyer appearing on behalf of the aggrieved party of late Dinesh Schaffter.   

The Additional Magistrate further issued an order directing the Colombo National Hospital Director to submit the medical reports of the hospital bed-head ticket pertaining to Dinesh Schaffter after he was admitted to the Colombo National Hospital on December 15.   

President’s Counsel Anuja Premaratne appearing for the aggrieved party sought an order directing the authorities to preserve the body specimens of the deceased for the purpose of preserving them for a future postmortem inquiry.   

The aggrieved party of late businessman Dinesh Schaffter had earlier informed court that they have noticed several contradictions and inconsistencies in the postmortem report compiled by the Colombo Judicial Medical Officer.   
President’s Counsel Anuja Premaratne had told court the initial postmortem report had suggested that death was due to strangulation but final postmortem report submitted to the court has concluded that Schaffter’s death was due to cyanide poisoning, contradictory to the initial report.   

The verdict of the inquest into the death of businessman Dinesh Schaffter is to be delivered on 
March 8.