The RAJASTHAN ANATOMY ACT, 1986

 
THE RAJASTHAN ANATOMY ACT, 19861 
[Act No. 12 of 1986] 
 
[Received the assent of the President on the 26th day of February, 1986] 
 An Act to provide for the supply of unclaimed bodies of deceased persons 
to teaching medical institutions for therapeutic purposes or for the purpose of 
anatomical examination and dissection. 
 
Be it enacted by the Rajasthan State Legislature in the Thirty-sixth Year of 
the Republic of India, as follows- 
1. Short title and commencement- (1) This Act may be called the Rajasthan 
Anatomy Act, 1986. 
(2) This section shall be deemed to have come into force on the 18th day of 
November, 1985 and the remaining provisions of this Act shall, and shall be deemed 
to have, come into force on such date and in such area as the State Government 
may, by Notification in the Official Gazette, specify and different dates may be 
specified for different areas. 
2. Definitions- In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject 
or context: - 
(a) “Authorised Officer” means an officer appointed by the State 
Government under   Section 3; 
(b) “near relative” means any of the following relatives of the 
deceased, namely, wife, husband, parent, son, daughter, brother and 
sister and includes any other person who is related to the deceased- 
(i) by lineal or collateral consanguinity, within three degrees in lineal 
relationship and six degrees in collateral relationship; or 
(ii) by marriage either with the deceased or with any relative 
specifically mentioned in this clause or with any other relative within 
the aforesaid degrees; 
 Explanation- The expressions “lineal consanguinity” and “collateral 
consanguinity” shall have the same meanings as respectively assigned to them in 
Sections 25 and 26 of the Indian Succession Act, 1925. 
(c) “Prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act; 
(d) “teaching medical institution” means any of the institutions 
specified in the schedule to this Act and includes any other institution 
 
1 Pub. In Raj, Gaz, Ex-ord, 4 (ka), dt. 28-2-1986. 
 
which may be declared by the State Government by notification2, 3, 4, 
5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15  in the official Gazette, to be a teaching 
medical institution for the purpose of this Act; and  
  (e)” unclaimed body” means the body of a deceased person which is 
not claimed by any of his near relatives or any person of his caste, 
creed or religion within seven days of death.  
3. Power of State Government to appoint Authorised Officers – The State 
Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, appoint for the areas in 
which this Act comes into force or any part thereof, one or more officers, to be 
called Authorised Officer, to whom a report shall be made under Section 4 and 
who shall exercise the powers and perform the duties conferred and imposed on 
the authorized officer under this Act. 
4. Unclaimed bodies to be used for therapeutic purposes or anatomical 
examination- (1) Where a person under treatment in a hospital, whether 
established by or vesting  in or maintained by the State Government or any local 
authority, dies in such hospital and his body is unclaimed, the authorities in-charge 
of such hospital shall, with the least practicable delay, report the fact to the 
Authorised Officer and, thereupon, if shall be lawful for such officer to take 
possession of the unclaimed body and hand it over to the authorities in-charge of a 
teaching medical institution for therapeutic purpose or for the purpose of 
conducting  post- mortem or anatomical examination and dissection. 
 (2) Where a person dies at a hospital other than a hospital referred to in sub-
section (1), or in a prison and his body is unclaimed, authorities in-charge of such 
hospital or prison, shall, with the least practicable delay, report the possession of 
the unclaimed body and hand it over to authorities in-charge of a teaching medical 
institution for the purpose specified in sub-section (1). 
 (3) Where a person dies in any public place in an area in which he had a 
permanent place of residence and his body is not claimed by any of his near 
 
2 Came into force w.e.f. 27-3-86 vide Notification No. S.O. 230/ F-8 (17) MPH/ Gr.1/ 65 dated. 20-3-1986. Pub in Raj. Gaz. Pt. 
IV-C (II) Ex-Ord. dt 27-3-1986.  
3 Came into force w.e.f. 28-08-2001 vide Notification No. S.O. 153/ F-7 (2) M.E./ Gr.1/ 91 dated. 16 July 2001 and S. O. 154/ F. 
7 (2) M. E./ Gr. 1/ 91 Part -iv dated 27-08-2001. Pub in Raj. Gaz. Pt. IV-C (II) Ex-Ord. dt 28.08.2001. 
4 Came into force w.e.f. 12-12-2001 vide Notification No. S.O. 287/ F-7 (2) M.E./ Gr.1/ 91 Part dated 19 November 2001. Pub in 
Raj. Gaz. Pt. IV-C (II) Ex-Ord. dt 12-12-2001. 
5 vide Notification No. F-7 (2) M.E./ Gr.1/ 91 Part dated 13/12/04. 
6 Vide Notification No. F-7 (2) M.E./ Gr.1/ 91 Part dated 18 March 2005. 
7 Came into force w.e.f. 05-10-2005 vide Notification No. S.O. 227/ F 7 (2) M.E./ Gr.1/ 91 Part dated 24 September 2005. Pub in 
Raj. Gaz. Pt. IV-C (II) Ex-Ord. dt 05-10-2005. 
8 Vide Notification No. F 7 (2) M.E./ Gr.1/ 91 Part dated 09 May 2008.  
9  Vide Notification No. F. 7 (130)/ D. M. E./ Acad./ 2015/ 394 dated 02/02/2016. 
10 Vide Notification No. F 7 (12) DME/ acad/ 2013 dated 10/04/2018.  
11 Vide Notification No. F. 7 (12) RMES/ Acad/ 2018 dated 21/08/2018.  
12 Vide Notification No. F. 7 (12) RMES/ Acad/ 2018 dated 25/06/2019.  
13 Vide Notification No. F. 7 (12) RMES/ Acad/ 2018 dated 05/03/2020.  
14  Vide Notification No. F. 7 (12) RMES/ Acad/ 2018/ 3017 dated 09/05/2023 
15 Vide Notification No. F. 7 (243) (Medical College)/ DME/ Acad/ 2023-05808 dated 08/01/2025. 
 
relatives or by any person of his caste, creed or religion, the authorized officer shall 
take possession of the unclaimed body and shall hand it over to the authorities in-
charge of a teaching medical institution for the purpose specified in sub-section 
(1). 
 (4) When there is any doubt regarding the cause of death or when for any 
other reason the authorized officer considers it expedient so to do, he shall forward 
the unclaimed body to the Police Officer referred to in Section 174 of the Code of 
Criminal Procedure, 1973. 
 (5) Where any unclaimed by taken possession of by the authorized officer 
under this section is not required by the authority in-charge of a teaching medical 
institution for the purpose specified in sub section (1), it shall be disposed of in 
such manner as may be prescribed. 
 (6) During the period within which claim may be raised against treating the 
body of a deceased person as unclaimed body, the authorized officer shall arrange 
for the preservation of the body of such person from decay in such manner as may 
be prescribed. 
5. Doubt or disputes as to near relatives to be referred to the officer appointed 
by the State Government-(1) if any doubt or dispute arises whether a person is or 
is not a near relative of the deceased for the purpose of Section 4, the matter shall 
be referred to such officer as may be appointed by the State Government by 
notification in the official Gazette in this behalf and his decision thereon shall-be 
final and conclusive. 
 (2) Pending such decision, the body of the deceased person shall be preserved 
from decay in such manner as may be prescribed. 
6. Penalty - Whoever disposes of, or abets the disposal of, an unclaimed body, 
save as provided by this Act, or obstructs any authority in-charge of a teaching 
medical institution, or an authorised officer from handling over, taking possession 
of, removing or using such dead body or the purpose specified in the Act, shall, on 
conviction, be punishable with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees. 
7. Duty of Police and other Officers to assist in obtaining possession of 
unclaimed bodies - All officers of the Police Department and the Medical and 
Health Department and all officers in the employ of a local authority and all village 
officer shall be bound to take all reasonable measures to assist any authority or 
officer authorised under this Act to obtain the possession of an unclaimed body. 
8. Protection of persons acting under this Act - No suit, prosecution or other 
legal proceedings shall lie against any person for anything which is in good faith 
done or intended to be done under this Act. 
 
9. Officers to be public servants - All Officers appointed or authorised to appoint 
under this Act shall be deemed to be public servants within the meaning of Section 
21 of the Indian Penal Code. 
10. Power to make rules - (1) The State Government may, by notification in the 
official Gazette, make rules for carrying out the purpose of this Act. 
 (2) In particular and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing 
possession of such unclaimed body provide for,- 
(a) the manner in which bodies may be preserved from decay; 
(b) the disposal of dead bodies when not required by the authority in-charge of a 
teaching medical institution; 
(c) the manner in which an enquiry under this Act should be held; or 
(d) any other matter which may be or is required to be prescribed. 
 (3) All rules made under this Act shall be laid, as soon as may be after they 
are so made, before the House of the State Legislature, while it is in session, for a 
period of not less than fourteen days which may be comprised In one session or in 
two successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session in which they are 
so laid or of the session Immediately following, the House of the State Legislature 
makes any modification in any of such rules or resolves that any such rules should 
not be made, such rules shall, thereafter, have effect only in such modified form or 
be of no effect, as the case may be, so, however, that any such modification or 
annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done 
there under.  
11. Repeal and Savings - (1) The Rajasthan Anatomy Ordinance, 1985 (Or-
dinance No. 9 of 1985) is hereby repealed. 
(2) Notwithstanding such repeal, all things done, actions taken or orders made 
under the said Ordinance shall be deemed to have been done, taken or made under 
this Act. 
 
 
SCHEDULED 
 
[Section 2 (d)] 
 
1. Sawai Man Singh Medical College, Jaipur. 
2. Sardar Patel Medical College, Bikaner. 
3. Rabindra Nath Tagore Medical College, Udaipur. 
4. Dr. Sampurnanand Medical College, Jodhpur. 
5. Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College, Ajmer. 
6. Madan Mohan Malviya Government Ayurvedic College, Udaipur. 
 
7. National Ayurvedic Institute, Jaipur. 
8. Government Medical College, Kota. 
9. Darshan Dental College, Udaipur. 
10. Pacific Dental College, Udaipur. 
11. Jaipur Dental College, Jaipur. 
12. Mahatma Gandhi National Institute of Medical Science, Sitapura Industrial 
Area, Sanganer, Jaipur. 
13. Professor and Head of the Department, Department of Anatomy, Mahatma 
Gandhi National Institute of Medical Sciences, Sitapura Industrial Area, 
Sanganer, Jaipur. 
14. National Institute of Medical Sciences, Shobha Nagar, Jaipur. 
15. Surendra Dental College & Research Institute, Sriganganagar. 
16. Jodhpur Dental College, Jodhpur. 
17. Rajasthan Dental College, Jaipur. 
18. Eklavya Dental College & Hospital Delhi-Jaipur Highway (NH-8), 
Kotputli—303108 (District Jaipur). 
19. Jhalawar Hospital and Medical College, Jhalawar. 
20. JNU Institute for Medical Sciences & Research Centre, Jaipur. 
21. Rajasthan University of Health Sciences College of Medical Sciences. 
22. Bharatpur Medical College, Bharatpur. 
23. Rajmata Vijyaraje Scindiya Medical College, Bhilwara. 
24. Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Medical College, Churu. 
25. Dungarpur Medical College, Dungarpur. 
26. Pali Medical College, Pali. 
27. Government Medical College, Barmer. 
28. Government Medical College, Sikar. 
29. Government Medical College, Sri Ganganagar. 
30. Government Medical College, Dholpur. 
31. Government Medical College, Sirohi. 
32. Government Medical College, Chittorgarh. 
33. Government Medical College, Alwar; 
34. Government Medical College, Bundi; 
35. Government Medical College, Karauli; 
36. Government Medical College, Dausa; 
37. Government Medica: College, Hanumangarh; 
38. Government Medical College, Jhunjhunu; 
39. Government Medical College, Banswara; 
40. Government Medical College, Sawai madhopur; 
41. Government Medical College, Nagaur; 
42. Government Medical College, Baran; 
 
43. Vyas Medical College & Hospital, Jodhpur; 
44. Sudha Medical College & Hospital, Kota;  
45. JIET Medical College & Hospital, Jodhpur. 

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