Role of medical query reports in interpreting ante-mortem injuries

Medical query reports and expert forensic opinions are essential instruments for interpreting ante-mortem injuries recorded during post-mortem examinations. When physical marks on the deceased, such as intravenous needle pricks or superficial abrasions, are opined by medical experts as self-inflicted or caused by handling sharp medical items, the charge of physical violence is substantially undermined. Similarly, minor contusions or old injuries that predate the death by several days cannot be casually attributed to immediate pre-death physical assault. Where the deceased possesses specialized medical qualifications, such as an anesthetist, the availability and self-administration of specialized clinical injections becomes a plausible scientific factor. Medical opinions clarifying that fatal substances could have been self-administered alter the fundamental trajectory of a criminal prosecution. Courts must rely on scientific medical evaluations rather than speculative assertions when evaluating the physical cause of death. Proper alignment between physical injury reports and expert medical queries ensures fair assessment during bail hearings. Consequently, medical reports indicating self-infliction provide strong grounds for releasing an accused on bail. (Abhijit Pandey v. The State of Madhya Pradesh and Another | 2026 INSC 83)