Emedinews:Insights on Medicolegal Issues:Preparation of MLC in injury cases by the attending doctor

• Injuries produced by a blunt weapon on tense skin covering the bones, as on scalp, eyebrow, iliac crest, shin, perineum, knee or elbow look like incised wounds. During the preparation of MLC report the doctors should keep in mind that he has to provide a clue about the weapon used, whether sharp–edged one or otherwise, the direction of the force, the duration of injury and the location of the wound, which may suggest mode of production i.e. suicide, accident, homicides along with whether the injury is fabricated or otherwise.
• Wounds produced by a blunt weapon or by a fall on the hard surface, object, on tense structures/skin covering the bones, such as the scalp, eyebrow, iliac crest, shin, perineum, knee or elbow when the limb is flexed look like incised wounds; but, they are lacerated wounds, also called split lacerations. These wounds may mislead the doctor and the investigating authorities about a sharp weapon.
• When incised–looking wounds are examined by doctor under magnifying lens, the edges of such wounds are found to be irregular with bruising and wounds are produced by blunt weapon.
• An incised wound, cut, slash and slice is a clean cut through the skin, it may or may not involve underlying tissues and structures. It is caused by a sharp–edged instrument, which is longer than the depth of wound. It is produced by infliction of an object having a sharp–cutting edge such as knife, razor, blade, scalpel, sword over the body.

Emedinews:Insights on Medicolegal issues:Medicolegal cases & injury, assault and hurt in Indian law

The words injury, assault and hurt are invariably used by doctors in hospital practice and are used as synonyms. But all three have a different meaning as per law. It is defined by the Indian Penal Code as below:

• Injury: Section 44 of IPC defines injury as any harm whatever illegally caused to any person in body, mind, reputation or property.
• Assault: Section 351 of IPC defines assault as an offer or threat or attempt to apply force on body of another in a hostile manner. It may be a common/simple assault or an intention to murder.
• Hurt: Section 319 of IPC defines hurt as whoever causes bodily pain, disease or infirmity to any person is said to cause hurt.

When we as doctors deal with cases of hurt/body injury, it means bodily pain, wound, disease or infirmity voluntarily caused to any person in medicolegal cases. These would include abrasions, contusions, lacerations, stab wounds, electric shock, firearm or ligatures etc. resulting in injury to the human body. The doctor who is certifying an injury report should keep in mind the Penal provisions (as below) required by police to book the case.

• Simple injury: IPC Section 323
• Simple injury caused by dangerous weapons: IPC Section 324
• Grievous injury: IPC Section 325
• Grievous injury caused by dangerous weapons: IPC Section 326
• Dangerous injury: IPC Section 307
• Injury likely to cause death: IPC Section 304
• Injury sufficient to cause death: IPC Section 302
• Causing hurt by means of poison: IPC Section 328

Emedinews:Insights on Medicolegal Issues:What is a medicolegal case?

A medicolegal case is a case of injury, ailment, hurt or illness or death due to evident criminal cause or where the attending doctor, on examining the patient, concludes that criminal force/weapon has been used against human body and an inquiry/investigation by law agencies is required in accordance with the prevailing law of the land. It is a legal duty of the treating doctor to inform a medicolegal case to the nearest police station immediately after completing primary lifesaving medical care. In accordance with Section 39 of Criminal Procedure Code of India, the treating doctor is duty bound to inform the nearest police station as soon as he/she completes his primary medical care. Phones/mobile phones can be used for informing the police in this era of modern advancement in telecommunication. An acknowledgement of receipt of such a message should be taken for future reference. If the intimation is given orally or on phone, the diary number (DD or the Daily Docket number/name and designation of police officer) should be taken down as proof of intimation and should be properly documented in the patient’s records. The idea is to initiate legal proceeding at the earliest so that the maximum evidence can be collected by the police officer with minimum destruction of evidences, site of occurrence, knowingly or unknowingly by any party. There is a quote in Bernard Knight Text Book of Forensic Medicine, which says that ‘the doctor dealing with medico–legal cases should not act /behave like a detective; equally the doctor should never act like curtain between police and patient involved in crime.'

Emedinews:Insights On Medicolegal Issues:Medicolegal cases & injury, assault and hurt in Indian law

The words injury, assault and hurt are invariably used by doctor in hospital practice and are used as synonymous. But all three have a different meaning as per law. It is defined by the Indian Penal Code as below:

• Injury: Section 44 of IPC defines injury as any harm whatever illegally caused to any person in body, mind, reputation or property.
• Assault: Section 351 of IPC defines assault as an offer or threat or attempt to apply force on body of another in a hostile manner. It may be a common/simple assault or an intention to murder.
• Hurt: Section 319 of IPC defines hurt as whoever causes bodily pain, disease or infirmity to any person is said to cause hurt.

When we as doctors deal with cases of Hurt/body injury, it means bodily pain, wound, disease or infirmity voluntarily caused to any person in medicolegal cases. These would include abrasions, contusions, lacerations, stab wounds, electric shock, firearm or ligatures etc resulting in human body injury. The doctor who is certifying an injury report should keep in mind the Penal provisions required by police to book the case i.e.

• Simple injury: IPC Section 323
• Simple injury caused by dangerous weapons: IPC Section 324
• Grievous injury: IPC Section 325
• Grievous injury caused by dangerous weapons: IPC Section 326
• Dangerous injury: IPC Section 307
• Injury likely to cause death: IPC Section 304
• Injury sufficient to cause death: IPC Section 302
• Causing hurt by means of poison: IPC Section 328

Emedinews:Insights on Medicolegal Issues:Medicolegal cases & injury, assault and hurt in Indian law

Medicolegal cases & injury, assault and hurt in Indian law

The words injury, assault and hurt are invariably used by doctor in hospital practice and are used as synonymous. But all three have a different meaning as per law. It is defined by the Indian Penal Code as below:

• Injury: Section 44 of IPC defines injury as any harm whatever illegally caused to any person in body, mind, reputation or property.
• Assault: Section 351 of IPC defines assault as an offer or threat or attempt to apply force on body of another in a hostile manner. It may be a common/simple assault or an intention to murder.
• Hurt: Section 319 of IPC defines hurt as whoever causes bodily pain, disease or infirmity to any person is said to cause hurt.

When we as doctors deal with cases of Hurt/body injury, it means bodily pain, wound, disease or infirmity voluntarily caused to any person in medicolegal cases. These would include abrasions, contusions, lacerations, stab wounds, electric shock, firearm or ligatures etc resulting in human body injury. The doctor who is certifying an injury report should keep in mind the Penal provisions required by police to book the case i.e.

• Simple injury: IPC Section 323
• Simple injury caused by dangerous weapons: IPC Section 324
• Grievous injury: IPC Section 325
• Grievous injury caused by dangerous weapons: IPC Section 326
• Dangerous injury: IPC Section 307
• Injury likely to cause death: IPC Section 304
• Injury sufficient to cause death: IPC Section 302
• Causing hurt by means of poison: IPC Section 328

Emedinews:Insights on Medicolegal issues:Medicolegal cases & injury, assault and hurt in Indian law

The words injury, assault and hurt are invariably used by doctor in hospital practice and are used as synonymous. But all three have a different meaning as per law. It is defined by the Indian Penal Code as below:
• Injury: Section 44 of IPC defines injury as any harm whatever illegally caused to any person in body, mind, reputation or property.
• Assault: Section 351 of IPC defines assault as an offer or threat or attempt to apply force on body of another in a hostile manner. It may be a common/simple assault or an intention to murder.
• Hurt: Section 319 of IPC defines hurt as whoever causes bodily pain, disease or infirmity to any person is said to cause hurt.
When we as doctors deal with cases of Hurt/body injury, it means bodily pain, wound, disease or infirmity voluntarily caused to any person in medicolegal cases. These would include abrasions, contusions, lacerations, stab wounds, electric shock, firearm or ligatures etc resulting in human body injury. The doctor who is certifying an injury report should keep in mind the Penal provisions required by police to book the case i.e.
• Simple injury: IPC Section 323
• Simple injury caused by dangerous weapons: IPC Section 324
• Grievous injury: IPC Section 325
• Grievous injury caused by dangerous weapons: IPC Section 326
• Dangerous injury: IPC Section 307
• Injury likely to cause death: IPC Section 304
• Injury sufficient to cause death: IPC Section 302
• Causing hurt by means of poison: IPC Section 328

(COntributed by Dr Sudhir Gupta)