Title

Medicolegal autopsy analysis during Covid-19 pandemic in India

Authors

Lairikyengbam Meetali Roy¹, Rajeshwar Pate², Biyabani Naushad Husain³*, Mangesh Ghadge² & Aswin Kennedy²

Affiliation

¹Deparment of Forensic Medicine, KEM Hospital, Mumbai, India; ²Deparment of Forensic Medicine, Rajiv Gandhi Medical College, Thane, Maharashtra, India; ³Deparment of Forensic Medicine, Hi-Tech Medical College, Rourkela, Odisha, India; *Corresponding author

Email

Lairikyengbam Meetali Roy - E-mail: meetaliroylairikyengbam@gmail.com

Rajeshwar Pate - E-mail: drpate2801@gmail.com

Biyabani Naushad Husain - E-mail: husainbiyabani@gmail.com

Mangesh Ghadge - E-mail: dr.mangeshghade@gmail.com

Aswin Kennedy - E-mail: aswinkennedy@gmail.com

Article Type

Research Article

Date

Received August 01, 2025; Revised August 31, 2025; Accepted August 31, 2025, Published August 31, 2025

Abstract

Medicolegal autopsy analysis is an integral part of a forensic investigation. Therefore, it is of interest to document the impact of COVID-19 on autopsy analysis. Hence, a total of 1,569 medicolegal autopsies were analysed. Data shows only 6.37% autopsy were conducted during lockdown while it is 93.63% in the unlock phase, indicating significant disruption in forensic services. The pandemic significantly altered the pattern and volume of medicolegal autopsies, with reduced cases during lockdown and a surge post-lockdown, particularly from respiratory, cardiac, suicidal and trauma-related deaths. Shifts in age distribution and operational delays highlight the broader impact on forensic services, underscoring the need for adaptable protocols and integrated public health responses during emergencies.

Keywords

Forensic pathology; forensic medicine; covid-19

Citation

Roy et al. Bioinformation 21(8): 2400-2404 (2025)

Edited by

Akshaya Ojha

ISSN

0973-2063

Publisher

Biomedical Informatics

License

This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.