Ernakulam: The Kerala High Court on Friday dismissed the review petition filed by Asha Lawrence against the donation of her father and CPM leader M M Lawrence's body to a medical college. A single bench had earlier dismissed Asha's challenge in the matter. 

M M Lawrence passed away on September 21, 2024. Since then, there has been a series of litigations against the decision to donate his body. The review petition was filed by his daughters, Asha and Suja Lawrence. They said that, as per a recently retrieved video, their father wanted his body buried where Suja says.

While disposing of the case today, Justice V G Arun observed that since the single bench's decision has been appealed, the review petition was not maintainable before the single bench. The court said the petitioners will have the right to seek appropriate remedies.

The daughters had also moved the Supreme Court against the decision of the appellate bench. The petitioner relied on the Supreme Court decision in Manisha Nimesh Mehta v Board of Directors (2024) to argue that since the apex court dismissed the SLP (Special Leave Petition), the review petition is maintainable before the High Court. The High Court, however, held that this ground need not be considered at this point.

“In my considered opinion, it is not necessary to take a decision as regards the impact of the decision in the SLP by the Supreme Court in so far as the indisputable position is that the judgment of this Court has merged with the judgment of the Division Bench against which SLP was preferred. … The review petition stands dismissed," the court said.
(With inputs from LiveLaw)