JUDGMENT :

1. The essential question raised in these writ petitions is with regard to the issuance of death certificates where a person is missing and has not been heard of for more than seven years.

2. W.P.(C) No.12086 of 2021 is filed seeking directions to the respondents to issue a death certificate in respect of Sri. K.T. Augustine to the petitioner, considering the date of death as 24.7.2003. Challenge is also raised as against Exhibit P9 reply of the 4th respondent informing the petitioner that the application submitted by the petitioner has been sent for clarification to the Chief Registrar. The 1st petitioner, who was the wife of Sri. K.T. Augustine, has passed away during the course of the writ petition and has been deleted from the party array. The 2nd petitioner is the son of Sri. K.T. Augustine. It is stated that Sri. K.T. Augustine is missing from 24.7.2003.

3. W.P.(C) No.4159 of 2021 is filed seeking directions to the 2nd respondent to issue death certificate to the petitioner in respect of his father Sri. P.I. George.

4. In both these writ petitions it is submitted that after the concerned persons had gone missing, FIR had been registered in the concerned police stat