Kochi: The body of the deceased senior CPM leader M.M. Lawrence will be temporarily kept in the mortuary. The High Court directed that the body be kept in the mortuary until a petition filed by his daughter, Asha Lawrence, against the decision to hand over his physical remains to the medical college for study purposes is resolved. Following the court’s directive, Lawrence’s body was transferred to the Kalamassery Medical College Hospital. Asha approached the High Court on Monday, stating that the body should not be handed over for study and should be buried in the church. The petition mentions that Lawrence did not express any wish to hand over the body to the hospital after his death. However, M.L. Sajeevan, Lawrence’s son, responded to the media, stating that it was indeed the father’s wish to hand over the body to the medical college. The High Court considered the petition on Monday afternoon and directed that the body be moved to the mortuary, citing the provisions of the Anatomy Act for the medical college’s decision.
The court instructed the medical college to consider the objections of the petitioner and to also take into account the opinions of the other children. The CPM and the church priest are also opposing parties in the case.
Dramatic Scenes During the Final Journey
Dramatic scenes unfolded during M.M. Lawrence’s final journey. Asha, who opposed the decision to hand over the body to the medical college for study, blocked the removal of the body from the Town Hall, leading to a confrontation. Amidst the scuffle, the body was moved to the medical college at around 4 PM.
During the altercation, Asha fell to the ground. Lawrence’s grandson was present alongside her. The body was forcibly removed from the Town Hall after physically moving Asha and the grandson. Lawrence passed away at a private hospital in Kochi at 12 PM on Saturday. M.M. Lawrence has been living a retired life since being removed from the party’s official committees during the CPM Alappuzha State Conference in 2015. He had been receiving treatment at a private hospital in Kochi for pneumonia for several days
