Introduction
In law the crime and punishment is entirely based on criminal responsibility and this in turn is dependant on the age of a person [1]. In the modern society the crimes against the children and by the children are increasing. The pediatric age group (up to 12 years) has got significant medico-legal importance (Table - 1).
There are various criteria for age determination of an individual, of which eruption of teeth and ossification activities of bones are important. Nevertheless age can usually be assessed more accurately in younger age group by dentition and ossification along with epiphyseal fusion [2]. A careful examination of teeth and ossification at wrist joint provide valuable data for age estimation in children [3]. Studies on ossification of the carpal bone are very few in India [4, 5, 6, and 7] and abroad [8, 9].
Reporting on medico-legal practice in India, a survey committee recommended to the government of India, in the year 1964 [10], that a zone wise study for the problem of determination of age is to be encouraged. The present study was conducted in Ajmer (central Rajasthan) to find out age of the children in pediatric age group (11 to 12 years) from ossification activities of the carpals and the lower ends of radius and ulna. It was found that ossification at wrist joint acts as a “good indicator of age” in children.
