New film revisits evidence that disproved Kasab’s claim he was 17

A forthcoming Hindi film revisits the courtroom dispute over Ajmal Kasab’s claim that he was 17 when he took part in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam stars Rajkummar Rao as Ujjwal Nikam, the special public prosecutor who challenged the claim. The film’s trailer highlights Kasab’s statement, “I am 17,” made during the trial.

Kasab’s defence sought to have the case transferred to a juvenile court. If he had been legally recognised as a minor, the maximum punishment under the Juvenile Justice Act would have been three years in a remand home rather than the death penalty. Nikam opposed the application and sought a forensic age assessment.

A four-member medical team at Sir JJ Hospital examined Kasab using radiological bone-ossification tests and dental examinations. According to court material cited in the source report, the medical board assessed him as between 20 and 26 years old at the time of testing and found that he was at least 19 and a half on the night of November 26, 2008. The prosecution also presented records in which Kasab had given his age as 21.

Arthur Road Central Jail records contained that figure, as did medical records from Nair Hospital after his arrest. His judicial confession, recorded before a magistrate under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, also stated that he was 21. The defence sought birth records from Kasab’s hometown in Faridkot, Pakistan, but the trial judge rejected that request.

The Supreme Court later upheld the medical evidence in its 2012 judgment confirming Kasab’s death sentence. The source material says the film portrays this legal battle, but does not assess how closely its dramatisation follows the full trial record.