A Judicial Magistrate East court has mandated the creation of a new medical board to ascertain Dua Zehra’s age.
Mehdi Kazmi, the attorney defending Dua’s father, promoted the creation of a medical board during the case’s hearing on Saturday.
The police’s challan, which claimed that teenager Dua was 17 years old, recommended classifying the case as C-Class, the attorney said.
Mehdi Kazmi’s attorney contended that it was improper to categorise the case as C-Class without first creating a medical board and establishing the age.
He claimed that the girl was 11 years and three months old based on NADRA records.
The Sindh health secretary is required to establish a new medical board in order to determine Dua Zehra’s actual age after the court heard arguments from both sides.
Additionally, it mandated additional inquiries into the situation.
Previously, Dua’s age was determined to be between 16 and 17 years old according to an Age Certificate issued by the Karachi Police Surgeon’s office. Dr. Laraib Gul, a woman medico-legal officer (WMLO), conducted Dua Zehra’s ossification test at the Civil Hospital in Karachi. Radiology Department x-rays from the hospital were part of the examination.
The certificate stated that Dua Zehra’s bones were not as dense as those of a 14-year-old, according to Radiology Chief Dr. Saba Jameel.
The certificate stated, “Bone age is between 16 and 17 years.”
The court stated that it would be the prosecution’s headache if they brought the girl to court or had her test performed somewhere else, according to Jibran Nasir, the attorney for Mehdi Kazmi. The court also ordered the formation of a medical board.
He asserted that the establishment of a medical board and a new investigation have not been opposed by the prosecution.
After her father withdrew his application, the Supreme Court decided on the Dua Zehra Case earlier this week.
The court ruled that it had no jurisdiction over the matter, but Dua’s parents could still file a medical malpractice lawsuit by contacting the proper authority.