Delhi gang-rape: Yet another accused tries ‘minor’ trick

Over a month after the Delhi gang rape, another accused has claimed before a fast track court that he too is a juvenile and his case should also be heard in the juvenile justice board like another accused. Vinay Sharma, an assistant gym instructor, has moved an application seeking a bone ossification test, said his lawyer AP Singh.

Singh sought ossification test to ascertain the age of his client before the trial begins after formal framing of charges. The court is likely to consider the matter on January 24, Singh said.
In earlier proceedings before a magistrate’s court, Sharma had refused to undergo test identification parade and expressed remorse at the horrible crime. Police have recorded his age as 20.

Singh, who is representing Sharma and another accused Akshay Thakur, said Sharma’s earlier statement had been made under pressure from the police, at a time when he had no lawyer.
“The boy’s mother has said that the school certificate, that shows his date of birth as March 1994, is wrong, and they (the family) had deliberately given an older age to the school so that he could be enrolled a year early,” Singh said.

“Vinay’s actual date of birth is March 1, 1995, which makes him less than 18 years of age. We have now asked the court to conduct a bone density test to check his age,” he added.
The sixth accused, who has claimed to be a minor, but who is thought to have been the most violent of the attackers, is facing an inquiry into his age by the juvenile justice board.