Insertion of new sections

A.

1. (1) In the case of a dead body lying in a hospital or prison and not claimed by any of the near relatives of the deceased person, the authority for the removal of the eyes from the dead body which so remains unclaimed may be given, subject to the provisions of sub-section (2), in the prescribed form, by the person-in-charge, for the time being of the management or control of the hospital or prison or by an employee of such hospital or prison, authorised in this behalf by the person-in-charge of the management or control thereof.
2. (2) The authority referred to in sub-section
3. (1) shall not be given except after the expiry of-
   • (i) half-an-hour from the time of death of the concerned person, in cases where no facility for cold storage of the dead body is available in the hospital or prison ; or
   • (ii) two hours from the time of the death of the concerned person, in cases where facility for cold storage of the dead body is available in the hospital or prison.
4. (3) No authority shall be given under sub-section (1), if the person empowered to give such authority has reason to believe that any near relative of the deceased is likely to claim the dead body even though such near relative has not come forward to claim the body of the deceased within the time specified in clause
   • (i) or, as the case may be, clause
   • (ii) of sub-section (2). Explanation.—For the purposes of this section "hospital" includes a nursing home, medical or teaching institution for therapeutic purposes or other like institution, 6-B. Where the body of a person has been sent for post-mortem examination-
   • (a) for a medico-legal purposes by reason of the death of such person having been caused by accident or any other unnatural cause; or
   • (b) for pathological purposes, the person competent under this Act to give authority for the removal of the eyes from such dead body may, if he has reason to believe that the eyes will not be required for the purposes for which such body has been sent for post-mortem examination, authorise the removal for therapeutic purposes of the eyes of such deceased person provided that he is satisfied that the deceased person had not expressed, before his death, any objection to his eyes being used for therapeutic purposes after his death or, where he had granted an authority for the use of his eyes for therapeutic purposes after his death, such authority had not been revoked by him before his death. 6-C. After the removal of eyes from the body of the deceased person, the registered medical practitioner (Opthalmic) shall take such steps for the preservation of the eyes so removed as may be prescribed. 6-D.