In a significant ruling on Friday, October 10, 2025, the Madras High Court declined a request from N. Visalakshi, wife of P. Nagendran—the primary suspect in the murder of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader K. Armstrong. Visalakshi had sought to include a private doctor of her choice in the team assigned to conduct her husband’s post-mortem.
However, Justice N. Sathish Kumar issued an order stipulating that a retired Dean from Kilpauk Medical College Hospital must be part of the government forensic expert team performing the autopsy on Nagendran. Nagendran had passed away at Government Stanley Hospital in Chennai on Thursday, October 9.
The court further mandated that the entire autopsy procedure be videographed and that all viscera samples be meticulously preserved for detailed analysis by the forensic sciences department. These directives were issued in response to an urgent petition filed by Nagendran’s wife, who accused the police of failing to admit her ailing husband to a private hospital.
Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) K.M.D. Muhilan informed the court that Nagendran had a history of involvement in numerous criminal cases. At the time of his formal arrest in connection with the Armstrong murder case, he was already serving a life sentence at Puzhal Central Prison for a separate murder conviction.
Due to multiple severe health complications, Nagendran had been admitted as an inpatient at Christian Medical College Hospital in Vellore from January 30, 2025, to April 22, 2025, and continued to receive regular outpatient medical care at the same facility.
Previously, on August 13, 2025, a Division Bench comprising Justices M.S. Ramesh and V. Lakshminarayanan had instructed prison officials to transfer Nagendran to a private hospital in Chromepet, Chennai, as requested by his wife. This decision was based on medical records indicating his need for a living donor liver transplantation.
Despite efforts by prison officials to admit him to the private hospital, the authorities there cited difficulties, explaining that the doctors who had previously treated Nagendran were no longer affiliated with their institution. Consequently, he was redirected to Stanley Hospital for treatment, as stated by the APP.
