Mumbai: A special court ordered an inquiry to determine whether the prime accused in Mumbai terror attacks case Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab is a juvenile.
Judge ML Tahiliyani allowed special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam to examine witnesses comprising doctors and jailor on April 28 to find out whether Kasab was above 18 and not juvenile at the time of the offence.
The court also ordered jail authorities to take Kasab for ossification and dental tests to determine his age.
The radiologist and dentist who will conduct the test have been asked to submit a report on or before April 28.
Kasab will be taken for these tests under heavy security, his lawyer Abbas Kazmi told reporters.
If the inquiry establishes that Kasab is juvenile, then the case will be transferred to the juvenile court.
The maximum punishment prescribed under Juvenile Justice Act is three years, Kazmi said.
The court ordered the inquiry after Nikam moved an application urging that the age of the accused may be determined before the charges are framed against him.
Earlier, Kasab had himself pleaded that he was juvenile and that the case should be transferred to Juvenile Justice Court, but the court had turned down his plea and opined that he did not appear to be juvenile.
However, the court had said that if it felt at any point in time during trial that the inquiry should be held to determine his age, it would do so.
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