The Kuala Lumpur High Court will decide tomorrow on whether a second post-mortem should be conducted on the body of 28-year-old coconut trader Ho Kwai See who died in police custody.

The deceased's brother Ho Kooi Sang filed the application on Tuesday asking the court to order Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UUMC) to carry out a second post-mortem and produce a report within 24 hours of the court's decision.

The court heard initial arguments by the plaintiff, represented by lawyers M Manoharan and P Uthayakumar, urging it to overrule the UMMC's decision not to conduct a post-mortem until a magistrate's order or police permit was presented by the deceased's family.

Postponement sought

However, counsel for the defendant, PS Ranjan appealed to the court to postpone the hearing until next Monday as the defence needed more time to consider the points of law raised in the application.

Judicial commissioner Wan Affrah Wan Ibrahim decided in chambers later for the case to be heard tomorrow.

The dispute occurred after UMMC refused to conduct a second post-mortem even though it had earlier indicated its willingness to do so.

Kwai See died on Aug 4 at the Sungai Buloh prison. He had been arrested just over a week earlier for a drug-related offence.

According to the findings of the first post-mortem carried out by Hospital Kuala Lumpur, he died of a 'perforated ulcer'.

However, his family suspected foul play after seeing his torso covered with bruises and wanted a second-post mortem done.