Tue Apr 15 16:29:07 UTC 2025: ## Supreme Court to Examine Case of Man Cremated by Delhi Police Without Family Notification
**New Delhi, April 15, 2025** – The Supreme Court will examine a petition alleging negligence by Delhi Police officers who cremated the body of a missing Kerala man without notifying his family. The petition, filed by the man’s uncle, Chacko Karimbil, claims that Sanoj Thomas went missing in Delhi in October 2024. A missing person report, including Thomas’s Aadhaar details and photograph, was filed with the Vasant Kunj police station. However, his body was later found near the IGI Airport and cremated by IGI Airport police officers as an unidentified body.
The petition argues that despite the close proximity of the two police stations and the availability of Thomas’s biometric data, the police failed to utilize available identification methods. It highlights the lack of inter-agency communication and the limited use of the Zonal Integrated Police Network (ZipNet) across India for managing missing persons and unidentified bodies, noting that Kerala is among the states not using the system.
The petitioner alleges that the police’s actions violated Thomas’s fundamental rights and those of his family, and seeks action against the officers involved and compensation for the family. The Supreme Court issued a notice to the Centre and listed the case for further hearing on May 23, 2025. The court will consider establishing guidelines to prevent similar incidents in the future, potentially including mandatory digital and biometric identification of unidentified bodies.
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