When is postmortem needed?
In a normal natural death, where a doctor can certify the cause of death and there is no suspicion, cremation can usually proceed without postmortem after the required death certificate or hospital release papers are issued.
Postmortem may be required when the death is due to accident, suicide, fall, burns, poisoning, assault, drowning, injury, unknown cause, brought-dead case with doubt, or any situation where police or hospital marks it as medico-legal. In such cases, the body is released for cremation only after postmortem and police or hospital clearance.
Natural death
Usually no postmortem if the doctor can certify the cause of death.
Unnatural death
Postmortem may be required in accident, suicide, injury, burns, poisoning or suspicious cases.
Clearance first
In medico-legal cases, cremation should be done only after official body release.
Clear rule: Postmortem is not a routine cremation step. It is done to legally and medically confirm the cause of death when the case is unclear, unnatural, suspicious, or police-related.
