- In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires;-(a)"authorized officer" means an officer authorized under section 3;(b)"hospital" means any hospital established or maintained by the Government, or by any municipal council, or other local authority and includes any other hospital which may be declared by the Government, by notification in the Gazette, to be a hospital for the purposes of this Act;(c)"near relative" means any of the following relatives of the deceased, namely, a wife, husband, parent, son, daughter, brother or sister and includes any other person who is related to the deceased (i) by lineal consanguinity within three degrees or by collateral consanguinity within six degrees, or (ii) by marriage with any of the relatives aforesaid;Explanation. - The expressions "lineal consanguinity" and "collateral consanguinity" shall have meanings assigned to them in the Indian Succession Act, 1925, and degrees of relationship shall be computed in the manner laid down in that Act.(d)"prescribed" means prescribed by rules made by the Government under this Act;(e)"teaching medical institution" means any of the institutions specified in the Schedule to this Act and includes any other institution which may be declared by the Government, by notification in the Gazette, to be a teaching medical institution for the purposes of this Act ;(f)"unclaimed body" means the body of a person who dies in a hospital, prison or public place, which has not been claimed by any of his near relatives or by any recognised religious or public institution belonging to the religion of the deceased, within such time as may be prescribed.
