Batcha's autopsy doctor files nomination for polls

Notwithstanding rejection of his resignation by the Tamil Nadu government, Dr V Dekal, who performed the post-mortem on the body of Sadiq Batcha, a close aide of former telecom minister A Raja, filed his nomination on Saturday for the April 13 Assembly polls as an independent.

The 43-year-old forensic expert is seeking election from Maduravoyal constituency. A native of Villupuram and hailing from a political family, Dr Dekal said he could resign anytime as he was a temporary staff and charged officials with 'deliberately' delaying and then rejecting his resignation.

Dekal, who had performed the post-mortem on the body of Batcha, found hanging at his house, had submitted his resignation in the first week of March. However the state government had turned it down citing paucity of staff and that he did not give a sufficient notice period.

Dekal had last week moved the High Court seeking a direction to consider his resignation since no action had been taken by the authorities concerned. The court had directed the director of public health to consider the resignation and pass orders in accordance with law.

After the autopsy, Dekal had said Batcha's death was due to asphyxia and his body showed compression of the neck with hanging mark and that the cause of death cannot be confirmed till the forensic report was received.

Batcha was managing director of Greenhouse Promoters, a firm under the scanner of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate in connection with the 2G spectrum scam. Batcha, whose official and residential premises were raided by CBI and who was questioned at least four times in the last two months, had left a suicide note in which he had stated he was "embarrassed" by the raids and the extensive media coverage.

According to the affidavit filed during his nomination, Dekal's annual income was Rs 4.21 lakh and that of his spouse, Rs 3.78 lakh. He had no cases against him. His gross total value of movable assets were Rs 30,000 and he had a car loan and a housing loan and had immovable assets valued at Rs 24.50 lakh as per the current market value.