1 PGK IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY APPELLATE SIDE Criminal Application No.577 of 2009 IN Criminal Revision Application No.203 of 2000 Pravin @ Shrikrishna Chandrakant Marathe ... Applicant v/s. State of Mah. ... ... ... Respondent Mr.Datta pawar i/by M/s.Khandeparkar & Associates for Applicant. Mrs.R.V. Newton, APP for State. ---- CORAM : SMT.ROSHAN DALVI, J. Dated : 13th November 2009 P.C. : 1.This Application is made by the Applicant on the footing that he is a juvenile for an inquiry to ascertain and verify his age. The Applicant has produced the School Leaving Certificate of New English School Junior College, Kasal. The certificate shows that he was admitted on 8.7.1994. The certificate shows his date of birth as 21.2.1978. This is a private document of a private school. Mere issue of the document cannot prove the age as per the date of birth it contains. Hence, the Applicant has rightly applied for inquiry in that behalf. It will be for the Applicant to prove the document by showing oral evidence through the signatory of the document who is 2 the Headmaster of the school. The document is shown to be issued on 31.7.1996. It will be for the Headmaster to produce the relevant records of the school and to prove the truth of the contents of the document. That inquiry will have to be undertaken by the learned Assistant Sessions Judge, Sindhudurg, Oros. Hence, the Application is granted in terms of prayer (a). 2.The learned Judge shall verify the records of the school upon the evidence of the Headmaster or any other School Authority and consequently, verify the truth of the contents of the certificate. The learned Judge shall pass further orders in accordance with the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 (as amended in 2006) upon verifying the age of the Applicant. This is as per the judgment of the Supreme Court in the case of Ravinder Singh Gorkhi vs. State of U.P., (2006) 5 Supreme Court Cases 584. 3.Criminal Application disposed of accordingly. (SMT.ROSHAN DALVI, J.)