Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology

The Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology (FMT) at JIPMER, Puducherry, which was started in 1966 under the department of Pathology has undergone significant transformation over the years, evolving from a supportive unit into an independent, fully functional academic and service-oriented department.

The independent department of FMT was created in 1987 under Dr S M Sharif as the first Professor of Forensic Medicine with due assistance from two faculty members Dr. Atul Murari and Dr. Amarendra Sahai. With JIPMER attaining the status of an Institute of National Importance in 2008, the department entered a new phase of structured growth in both its academic and medico-legal service capabilities. At present, the department has six posts sanctioned for Faculty on a Regular Basis and 3 for Senior Residents. In 2010, the MD Forensic Medicine Postgraduate Program was approved, and the first batch of students joined in 2011. The intake began with two students per year and has expanded to 4 students per year at present.

The department primarily deals with medicolegal autopsy cases coming from Puducherry and the adjoining districts of Tamil Nadu. The department extended its medicolegal service by undertaking the sexual offence survivor and accused examination from 2014 onwards. The mortuary complex was upgraded in 2018 with two modern autopsy halls capable of conducting four autopsies simultaneously, and its services expanded further in 2022 with the addition of six Puducherry police stations. In addition to this, the department is also involved in other medicolegal activities such as examining and certifying age estimation cases, drunkenness cases etc. The department primarily caters to the public, law enforcement agencies, judiciary, and healthcare professionals. It currently provides services in three main areas: Clinical Forensic Medicine, Academic and Autopsy Pathology services. Academic services are available to both undergraduate and postgraduate students pursuing medical and paramedical fields.

The department actively contributes to both undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, as well as training programs for allied health science courses including MRT, MRO, EMT, and MD Emergency Medicine.

Ongoing Expansion Plans

Looking ahead, the department has initiated the groundwork for advanced service and research capabilities in emerging sub-specialties of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology. Key areas identified for expansion include:

• Forensic Radiology and Virtual Autopsy: Incorporation of imaging-based postmortem techniques to complement traditional autopsy procedures.
• Forensic Toxicology Unit with Analytical Laboratory: Establishment of a dedicated lab for toxicological analysis to support autopsy and clinical forensic services.
• Forensic Histopathology Services: Development of specialized histopathology reporting for refined cause-of-death analysis.
• Clinical Forensic Medicine Services: Introduction of a structured Clinical Forensic Medicine Unit (CFMU) to provide timely medico-legal assessment and documentation of living individuals, including victims and accused persons in cases of sexual assault, physical violence, child abuse, age estimation, and substance intoxication. This service will function in close coordination with emergency and trauma care units to ensure comprehensive forensic evaluation.

These planned expansions aim to align the department with global best practices, enhance service delivery, and foster interdisciplinary collaboration, thereby elevating JIPMER’s role as a Centre of Excellence in Forensic Medicine & Toxicology.