Kerala HC Urges Respect: Children of Late CPI-M Leader in Dispute Over Body Donation

Kochi, Dec 3 (NationPress) The Kerala High Court on Tuesday admonished the heirs of the deceased CPI-M leader M.M. Lawrence for their ongoing dispute over the donation of his mortal remains to Ernakulam Government Medical College for medical research and educational purposes.

Chief Justice Nitin M. Jamdar remarked, "At least have some respect for the person who has passed away," during oral observations.

The 95-year-old veteran Communist leader passed away due to age-related complications on September 21, and since then, the issue of body donation has become a point of contention among his three children.

While two of the children asserted that their father's wish was to donate his body, another daughter, Asha, opposed this, insisting that he should be buried alongside her mother.

The court criticized the parties for their inability to resolve the situation, stating, "These are matters for the heirs to settle among themselves. What is this? What kind of issues have you brought before us? These are siblings; sort it out between yourselves. These should not be matters for the court. At most, we will appoint a senior person as a mediator."

The court then ordered the appointment of a mutually agreed-upon mediator to explore the possibility of an amicable resolution.

Currently, Lawrence's body is preserved at a state-run Medical College hospital here.

This marks the third occasion the issue has been presented in court.

The court has scheduled the next hearing for December 9, anticipating that the differing opinions can be resolved by then.

Lawrence served as a Lok Sabha member from Idukki from 1980 to 1984 and was well-known for his trade union activities, also serving as a Central Committee member of the CPI-M.