KOCHI: The High Court directed the government to keep the mortal remains of CPM leader MM Lawrence in the mortuary and not release them for medical study.

The government has to decide whether the directorate of medical education can be tasked to conduct the re-hearing. Justice VG Arun will hear the petition again on Thursday. Lawrence's daughter Asha approached the court against handing over the dead body to the medical college.

Senior CPM leader and former convener of LDF MM Lawrence (95) passed away on the 21st. His children M L Sajeevan and Sujatha decided to hand over the dead body to the medical college which they stated was their father’s wish. But the decision didn’t go well with another daughter Asha, who staged a protest during the public homage ceremony.

On the 23rd, when the dead body was placed for public viewing at the Ernakulam Town Hall, an altercation followed. After filing a petition in the High Court, the court directed the principal of Ernakulam Medical College to decide after hearing the arguments of Lawrence’s three children.

After the hearing, the medical college authorities decided to take over the dead body. Sajeevan’s claim about Lawrence requesting his body be handed over for medical study was taken into account. However, during the hearing, daughter Sujatha said she had no qualms against burying the dead body as per religious rites. Younger daughter Asha came to the hearing with a lawyer, who requested that the body be buried according to religious rites.

The committee assessed that there is no record that Lawrence withdrew from the decision to release the body to the medical college after death. In the petition, Asha demanded that the decision of the medical college be quashed and an investigation should be conducted against the principal and superintendent of the medical college who acted against the provisions of the Kerala Anatomy Act during the hearing.

In the petition, Asha alleged that the principal sabotaged the hearing scheduled by the High Court and said that the legal issues she raised were not considered.