(1)In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context, –(a)“approved institution” means a hospital or a medical college or an allied institution as may be declared by the State Government by notification in the Official Gazette, to be an approved institution for the purpose of this Act;(b)“authorised officer” means an officer authorised under section 3;(c)“hospital” means any hospital established or maintained by the State Government or by any municipal corporation, municipal council, municipal borough, district municipality, district board or panchayat, and includes any other hospital which may be declared by the State Government by notification in the Official Gazette, to be a hospital for the purposes of this Act;(d)“person interested” means a near relative or any other person who is interested in the disposal of the body of the deceased person in accordance with the religious usage or social custom of such deceased.Explanation - For purposes of this clause, “near relative” means any of the following relatives of the deceased, namely, 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. The expressions “lineal consanguinity” and “collateral consanguinity” shall have the meaning assigned to them in the Indian Succession Act, 1925, (Central Act XXXIX of 1925) and degrees of relationship shall be computed in the manner laid down in that Act;(e)“prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act;(f)“unclaimed body” means the body of a person who dies in a hospital, prison or public place or a place to which members of the public have got access and which has not been claimed by any person interested within such time as may be prescribed.
