SHAH ALAM, Nov 20 — The High Court has dismissed an application by a father to exhume the remains of his son, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Shah Alam Reserve Officers' Training Unit (Palapes) cadet Muhammad Amir Rusyadi Muhamad Zaidi, who died during training on Nov 13 last year.
Justice Roszianayati Ahmad dismissed Muhammad Zaidi Abdul Rahman’s application, ruling that neither an exhumation nor a fresh post-mortem was warranted as the cause of death had been clearly established by the Shah Alam Hospital.
The remaining dispute concerned how the deceased came by his death and whether it was caused or accelerated by the acts or negligence of others.
She therefore allowed a public inquest to be conducted as the numerous affidavits filed in the case contained facts and allegations that could only be resolved through a full police investigation and ordered the police to reopen investigations into the death, as well as for a new investigating officer from Bukit Aman to be assigned to take over the case.
Justice Roszianayati made the decision after examining the notice of motion and affidavit filed by Zaidi, 53, in his application to the Home Affairs Ministry and the Attorney-General's Chambers.
The court also dismissed his other applications, which include an order for the Inspector-General of Police, the Attorney-General, and relevant parties to order the exhumation of his son’s body, and an order to order the forensic experts of the Kuala Lumpur Hospital to conduct a post-mortem on the deceased within 14 days after the body was removed in the presence of an independent forensic expert and a lawyer.
Also dismissed was the application to direct the forensic expert who conducted the autopsy to issue a post-mortem report within a month of the autopsy and to give a copy of the report to the lawyer.
When reading out the grounds of her judgment, Justice Roszianayati said the main complaint in the application was the cause of Amir's death.
Based on her examination, the cause had been identified through examination and treatment by a doctor at the Shah Alam Hospital, who had issued an affidavit and confirmed the cause of death as heat stroke with multiple organ failure.
The victim was taken to the hospital on November 10 and died on November 13, 2024, with various examinations and clinical tests being carried out, with the test results showing that Amir died in a state of severe dehydration that involved other internal organs.
Justice Roszianayati noted that the doctor also stated that no other physical injuries were found except for a red mark on his knee, but it did not lead to his death.
She also took into account confirmation by friends of the deceased and trainers at the Reserve Officers’ Training Unit that he had undergone intensive drills since November 9, 2024, which aligned with the medical findings.
