Kochi, May 21 (IANS) A day after the Kerala High Court came down heavily on the State Education authorities for not publishing the results of five juveniles, arrested for involvement in the murder of a minor student in Kozhikode, State Education Minister V. Sivankutty announced their Class 10 marks.

All five students have been declared passed, and it was also announced that they are eligible for higher studies.

Incidentally, the quick action from the state government came after the High Court on Tuesday orally remarked: “The whole concept of criminal jurisprudence is reformation. Especially, when a child in conflict with the law commits a crime, can you debar him from writing an examination? And after he has written the examination, can you withhold the results?”

If the delay in publishing the results is purposeful, the officers responsible for it would have to be held responsible, the court warned.

Shahabas, a student of MJ Higher Secondary School, Thamarassery, Kozhikode, succumbed to serious injuries on March 1. Shahabas was injured in the fight between the students of his school and Thamarassery GVHSS following a dispute during a farewell event at a tuition centre in the last week of February.

Even though the teachers intervened then through a series of WhatsApp messages, the tension escalated, leading to a violent clash near the tuition centre.

Shahabas suffered serious head injuries, which led to his death.

Police pressed murder charges against the five and stated that the accused used weapons, including a truncheon and a nunchaku, for the attack on Shahabas.

Though Shahabas was not a student at the tuition centre, he was called to the venue while running an errand.

Following the attack, he was taken home by a friend. Initially unaware of the attack, his family suspected drug use when they found him in a weak state at home.

Upon learning the truth, he was rushed to Thamarassery Taluk Hospital and later shifted to Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital, where he passed away.

The five have been charged with murder, wrongful restraint, unlawful assembly, and voluntarily causing grave injuries. All five are students since then have been in judicial custody. They also wrote their examination in custody.

–IANS

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