Exhumation and identification: A case report.

The term exhumation is restricted to legally digging out the body from the grave after burial. The objectives of disinterment can vary in various cultures as well as countries and requirements vary from place to place However, most cases of exhumation occur because there is a request from a magistrate to carry out an autopsy to gain essential forensic evidence. The paper discusses such a case of 10 year old girl who was buried after committing sexual assault and strangulation. After the passage of about two years the victim’s body was retrieved from the place identified by the accused persons who confessed to the crime. The body of the victim was identified by her mother from a small piece of under slip and other articles she was wearing. The paper discusses various aspects of exhumation and also stresses the importance of careful examination and recording of personal articles, belongings etc of the victim recovered from/with the body during autopsy examination.

Estimation of stature from hand length.

The present study comprised of a sample of 150 healthy individuals (75 males and 75 females) studying in various colleges of Delhi. All the individuals were measured for height and hand length. The data thus obtained have been subjected to statistical computation for deriving the regression equations. Bilateral asymmetry in hand measurements were statistically insignificant. Regression equations were derived for right and left hand separately by which living stature may be fairly accurately estimated when a fragmentary or mutilated portion of upper extremity is recovered. Using the regression formula derived in this study, stature can be estimated within the error of +4.0 to 4.6cm from hand length.