Delayed claim of juvenility

Accused had never claimed at any stage of the trial that he was a child, he had never agitated before the High Court that he was a juvenile and he had led no evidence before any court regarding his date of birth

Any belated attempt made by the accused in such regard before the Supreme Court may not be met with approval or acceptance

Mere mentioning of the accused's age in his statement recorded under S.342, Cr.P.C. was not a conclusive determining factor regarding his actual age for the purposes of declaring him a juvenile

Appeal was dismissed accordingly and claim of juvenility was rejected.

Delayed claim of juvenility advanced by an accused person was to be visited with an adverse inference against him.