Delhi serial blasts: School principal examined by court

NEW DELHI - An Uttar Pradesh school principal was Monday examined by a city court over verification of the age of suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorist and Delhi serial blasts accused Salman Ahmed, who claims to be a minor.

The court had summoned principals of Ahmed’s two schools, Mahadev Inter College, Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, and Brihan Mumbai Mahanagar Palika School, Mumbai.

Principal of Ahmed’s former Azamgarh school, Raj Kumar Yadav, appeared with the school records. But the principal from the Mumbai school did not appear and even refused to send any documents stating that these could not be sent out of state as per the rule.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kaveri Baweja questioned the Mumbai school’s rule and again summoned its principal on April 20.

Yadav provided documents like the school’s admission register which stated Ahmed’s date of birth to be Oct 3, 1992. No affidavit or date of birth certificate was produced before the court.

Yadav said: There is no record regarding the person who was accompanying Salman at the time of admission. I cannot say who got his date of birth recorded at the time of admission.

Baweja said: Since there are no original documents provided by the witness, no decision can be taken on Ahmed’s age.”

On March 15, the court directed the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to determine Ahmed’s age after he claimed he was a minor at the time of the Delhi serial blasts in September 2008.

A medical board of AIIMS submitted a report March 23 in court and said Ahmed’s age was 25-26 years.

The serial blasts in the capital Sep 13, 2008 had killed 26 people and left 135 others injured.