New twist in Tiger Shroff case: Shooter claims he’s a minor. Why it matters

In a surprising turn of events, one of the men arrested for the October 18 shooting incident targeting Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff's car in Juhu has claimed he is a minor. If this claim proves true, the case would not follow the standard criminal process; rather, the accused would be presented before the Juvenile Justice Board and held in an observation home, rather than being subjected to police custody or jail.

The shooting occurred around 7 pm on October 18 near Pushpa Narsee Park in Juhu, as Shroff returned from a football match; he remained unharmed, but his driver and a bystander were wounded by bullets.

The accused, along with his associates Hrithik Mahto (alias Roshan), 22, and Rehan Ansari, 19, were apprehended by the Rajasthan Police on October 19. Documents submitted by the accused's lawyers assert that he was 17 years old on the day of the attack. However, the police claim he is 19 years old. Following the court's order, the inquiry into the accused's age is now underway, and it is expected to report within 15 days.

Until then, the court has not moved the accused to an observation home, but has instead remanded him, along with four others, to police custody until November 11.

The accused's legal team, represented by Sidhanth Mor and Divyam Gaur, submitted a plea through his aunt, which included his birth certificate and Aadhaar card issued in Haryana, both of which show his date of birth as November 30, 2008. This information would make him 17 years and 10 months old on October 18, and 18 years old on November 30.

The legal team argues that the police should have ascertained and verified the accused's actual date of birth before treating him as an adult and subjecting him to regular police custody proceedings. They further contend that the police failed to verify his age with the authorities in Haryana, despite possessing documents that indicated he was a minor.

The court has currently refused to send the accused to an observation home pending the inquiry. The court noted that since his arrest on October 19, he had been brought before courts multiple times without claiming to be a minor, and suggested that he might have made this claim to avoid custodial interrogation. The court will reassess the plea after reviewing the police report.