Overview
- The sessions court rejected the accused Sarfaraz Shaikh’s claim that he was a juvenile when HDFC vice‑president Siddharth Sanghvi was killed in 2018 and said no records supported his younger age.
- The judge relied on a four‑member ossification panel from Grant Government Medical College and Sir J. J. Hospital that estimated the accused’s age at 25–28 years, including the margin of error.
- The defence had submitted a school leaving certificate saying the accused was born in 2001 while the prosecution produced a driving licence and other documents showing an earlier birth year, and the court found the defence records unreliable.
- With juvenility denied, the court directed the prosecution to resume the murder trial after roughly an 18‑month pause, meaning the accused will be tried under adult criminal law and face adult sentencing if convicted.
- Medical ossification tests give an age range rather than an exact year and the defence contested the margin of error, but the court said nothing on record disproved the medical report, underscoring how age disputes in India often hinge on documentary checks plus forensic assessment.