The Madras High Court on Monday ordered a fresh postmortem of a 45-year old Dalit man who was found dead in a well under mysterious circumstances in Erode district recently.

Allowing a plea by the deceased's son who suspected that his father had been murdered, Justice R Mala directed the second post-mortem be done by a team of doctors constituted by the Government Medical College and Hospital, Coimbatore, along with the petitioner s doctor.

"Considering the circumstances, I am of the view that it is a fit case for ordering re-postmortem...," she said and also ordered that the exercise be videographed.

After the re-postmortem, the body should be handed over to the petitioner, the Judge said posting the matter for compliance report on April 4 next.

The Judge had on March 24 directed authorities to keep the body of Chinnadurai in the 'cold storage' of the hospital till Monday and restrained officials from harassing the petitioner to accept the body.

Petitioner C Balasubramanian of Perunthurai Taluk in Erode district in his PIL had submitted that on March 19 a quarrel broke out between a caste Hindu group and Dalits led by his father in Dasampudur village. One Dalit was allegedly attacked brutally later.