Karachi court orders exhumation of businessman Mir Raza Ali’s body

KARACHI: A judicial magistrate in Karachi on Thursday ordered the exhumation of young businessman Mir Raza Ali’s body and directed the Sindh health secretary to constitute a medical board to carry out the process, in a significant development in the high-profile case that has sparked questions over the initial post-mortem examination.

The court issued the order after hearing a petition filed by the victim’s father seeking exhumation of the body, amid growing concerns over alleged irregularities in the autopsy report.

Judicial Magistrate (East) accepted the application after the prosecution informed the court that it had no objection to the request. The court directed the authorities concerned to implement the order at the earliest.

Court hearing

During the proceedings, counsel for the petitioner argued that the court had the authority to order exhumation without first issuing notice to the investigating officer.

He contended that the police could not object to the exhumation, particularly after serious shortcomings had been identified in the post-mortem report.

However, the magistrate observed that such an order could not be issued immediately on the same day the application was filed, saying the investigating officer should ordinarily be notified.

The petitioner’s lawyer maintained that the police surgeon had pointed out multiple deficiencies in the autopsy, including the absence of X-rays and the failure to determine the exact cause of death.

“The post-mortem report appears to have been prepared on assumptions rather than through a complete forensic examination,” the lawyer argued.

The court then asked the prosecutor how an exhumation order could be passed without notifying the investigating officer, suggesting that if the prosecution had no objection, the court could proceed.

Responding to the query, the prosecutor said the matter involved the loss of a human life and the prosecution had no objection to the exhumation.

Following the prosecution’s stance, the judicial magistrate approved the application, directing the Sindh health secretary to constitute a medical board and oversee the exhumation process as soon as possible.

Case took fresh turn after police surgeon’s letter

The court order comes days after Karachi Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed highlighted serious deficiencies in the post-mortem examination conducted on Mir Raza Ali’s body.

In a letter addressed to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) East, the police surgeon identified numerous shortcomings in the autopsy report that, she said, required further examination before any conclusions regarding the cause of death could be reached.

According to the letter, no chemical analysis was carried out to detect gunpowder residue around the reported entry wound, while the internal examination of the skull and neck was not performed.

The police surgeon also noted that no X-rays of the body had been conducted, hand swabs had not been collected for gunpowder residue testing, and injuries had not been measured or photographed in accordance with standard forensic procedures.

She further questioned the documented bullet trajectory, saying the report failed to reconcile the entry and exit wounds with the corresponding bone damage and raised concerns over the reported size of the gunshot wounds.

Dr Syed also pointed out that although the victim’s face was described as unrecognisable, no DNA samples had been collected to independently confirm the body’s identity.

She said the report contained several inconsistencies and lacked adequate forensic documentation, making it difficult to draw reliable conclusions.

Investigation team rejected criticism

The investigation team, however, dismissed the police surgeon’s observations.

SSP Dr Samiullah Soomro, who is heading the investigation, said Dr Syed neither conducted the post-mortem examination nor physically examined the body, arguing that her observations were based solely on photographs.

He described her comments as premature and maintained that the official cause of death would only be determined after all legal and forensic procedures had been completed.

The investigating officer had earlier stated that if required, exhumation could be sought through the court on the recommendation of a medical board.

The death of Mir Raza Ali has drawn widespread public attention, with investigators continuing to examine forensic, medical and technical evidence to determine the circumstances surrounding the case.

The court’s latest order is expected to pave the way for a fresh medical examination aimed at resolving questions raised over the initial autopsy.