Baba Siddiqui murder: what is ossification test and why court ordered it for second suspect | India News – Times of India

“Age is just a number. It is completely irrelevant, unless of course you are a bottle of wine,” said Joan Collins, but in the judiciary age is certainly not “just a number”, especially when dealing with a suspect. youthful.
The court decided this on Sunday ossification test for one of the suspects in the murder case of the leader of the Nationalist Congress Party Baba SiddiqueThis came after the court witnessed disagreements over Dharamraj Kashayap’s age.
Kashayap said he was 17 years old, while prosecutors told the court that his Aadhaar showed him to be 19.

What is an ossification test?

The ossification test is a medical procedure that evaluates bone maturity to estimate a person’s age. It involves analyzing X-rays of bones, especially in the hands and wrists, to monitor the development and fusion of growth plates.
In children and adolescents, ossification reflects the progression of bone development, with certain bones hardening at certain ages. This test is commonly used in forensic science and legal contexts to accurately determine an individual’s age when necessary.

What did SC say about age determination test

The Supreme Court has called for an age determination test in several cases, but has also said it is not foolproof.
In 2022, the Supreme Court had dismissed a plea of ​​an accused who claimed to be a minor, saying, “It is needless to say that the plea of ​​youthfulness must be raised in a bona fide and truthful manner. If reliance is placed on a document seeking juvenility which is not reliable or questionable in nature, the appellant cannot be treated as a juvenile detainee as the Act is a useful legislation.”
Meanwhile, the court had said in 2016 that a suspect cannot be declared juvenile solely on the basis of the ossification test result so that he can escape jail time.
“Courts have always held that the evidence provided by radiological examination is undoubtedly a useful guide to determining the age of a person, but the evidence is not of a conclusive and irrefutable nature and is subject to a margin of error. Medical evidence regarding a person’s age, while a very useful guiding factor, is not conclusive and must be considered in conjunction with other circumstances,” the report said.