A radiological ossification test is performed on an accused whose age is disputed in a criminal trial in India. When reporting the opinion, the accepted professional practice regarding the precision of the stated age is that the expert should:

• A State a single exact age, since radiological findings are precise to within months
• B Refuse to give any opinion unless birth records are available
• C Give an age range allowing a margin of error of about two years on either side ✓
• D Report only whether the person is above or below 21 years

Explanation

Ossification findings vary with nutrition, heredity, climate and hormonal status, so Indian forensic practice and judicial precedent require the expert to express age as a range with a margin of error of roughly two years on either side of the estimate. Stating a single exact age overstates the precision of the method. Refusing an opinion defeats the purpose of the examination, and restricting the report to majority alone discards information the court needs for sentencing and juvenile status decisions.

Reference: Parikh's Textbook of Medical Jurisprudence and Toxicology, 7th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

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