(1) If any unnatural or sudden death occur, or any corpse be found, within the bounds of any village, the Police-patil shall forthwith proceed to the place of incident and call upon two or more intelligent persons belonging to the village or neighbourhood, who shall investigate the causes of death and all the circumstances of the case, and make a written report of the same, which the Police-patil shall cause to be forthwith delivered to the Station Officer.
(2) Any person who, on being called upon by the Police-patil to hold such investigation, shall without justifiable cause refuse or neglect to do so, shall, on conviction, be punished with fine which may extend to fifty rupees.
(3) If the results of the investigation afford reason for supposing that death has been unlawfully occasioned, the Police-patil shall give immediate notice to the Station Officer, and, if the corpse can be forwarded without the risk of putrefaction by the way, shall at once forward it to the nearest Civil Surgeon or other medical officer appointed by the State Government to examine corpses under such circumstances, who shall endeavour to ascertain the cause of death.
If the Police-patil is unable to forward the corpse without the risk of putrefaction rendering examination useless or dangerous, he shall nevertheless prevent the burning or burying of such corpse until the Station Officer or a Magistrate shall have assented thereto.