Cap. 36 Art. 37Magistrate may in certain cases order dead bodies to be buried.

(1) Where -

(a) the body of any person who has died from any disease is retained in any room where other persons live or sleep; or

(b) the body of any person who has died from any disease is retained unburied elsewhere than in a room not used at the time as a dwelling-place, sleeping-place or workroom, for more than twenty-four hours after death without the sanction in writing of a government medical officer; or

(c) the dead body of any person is retained in any house or room or on board any ship so as, by such continued retention, to endanger the health of the inmates thereof or of any adjoining or neighbouring house or building; or

(d) the dead body of any person is unclaimed, or no-one undertakes to bury it, any magistrate may, on a certificate signed by a duly qualified medical practitioner, order the body to be removed at the cost of the Government to any available mortuary, and direct the same to be buried within a time to be limited in the order.

(2) Such magistrate may, in the case of the body of any person who has died of any disease, or in any case in which he shall consider immediate burial necessary, direct the body to be so buried without removal to the mortuary.