Court Dismisses Application To Exhume Remains Of Palapes Trainee, Allows Public Inquest

SHAH ALAM,  Nov 20  (Bernama) -- The High Court here today dismissed an application by a father to exhume the remains of his son, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Shah Alam Reserve Officers' Training Unit (Palapes) cadet Muhammad Amir Rusyadi Muhamad Zaidi, who died during training on Nov 13 last year.

Justice Roszianayati Ahmad dismissed Muhammad Zaidi Abdul Rahman’s application, ruling that neither an exhumation nor a fresh post-mortem was warranted as the cause of death had been clearly established by Hospital Shah Alam.

She said the remaining dispute concerned how the deceased came by his death and whether it was caused or accelerated by the acts or negligence of others.

She therefore allowed a public inquest to be conducted as the numerous affidavits filed in the case contained facts and allegations that could only be resolved through a full police investigation and ordered the police to reopen investigations into the death, ordering that a new investigating officer from Bukit Aman be assigned to take over the case.

Roszianayati made the decision after examining the notice of motion and affidavit filed by Muhammad Zaidi, 53, in his application to the Home Ministry of Home Affairs and the Attorney-General's Chambers.

The court also dismissed three other applications by Muhammad Zaidi, namely an order for the Inspector-General of Police, the Attorney-General and relevant parties to order the exhumation of his son’s body and an order to order the forensic experts of the Kuala Lumpur Hospital to conduct a post-mortem on the deceased within 14 days after the body was removed in the presence of an independent forensic expert and the presence of a lawyer.

Also dismissed was an application to direct the forensic expert who conducted the autopsy to issue a post-mortem report within a month from the date it was conducted, and for a copy of the report to be given to the lawyer.

Roszianayati, when reading out the grounds of her judgment, said the main complaint in the application was the cause of Muhammad Amir Rusyaidi's death.

She said that based on her examination, the cause had been identified through examination and treatment by a doctor at Shah Alam Hospital, who had issued an affidavit and confirmed the cause of death as heat stroke with multiple organ failure.

The judge said the victim was taken to the hospital on Nov 10 and died on Nov 13, 2024, with various examinations and clinical tests being carried out, with the test results showing that Muhammad Amir Rusyaidi died in a state of severe dehydration that involved other internal organs.

She said the doctor also stated that no other physical injuries were found except for a red mark on his knee, but it did not lead to his death.

She also noted confirmation by friends of the deceased and trainers at the Reserve Officers’ Training Unit that he had undergone intensive drills since Nov 9, 2024, which aligned with the medical findings.

-- BERNAMA