Kochi: Following strong intervention by the Kerala High Court, State Education Minister V. Sivankutty announced the Class 10 results of five juveniles accused in the Shahabas murder case in Kozhikode. All five students have been declared passed and deemed eligible for higher studies.
The swift announcement came a day after the High Court reprimanded the State Education authorities for withholding the results of these juveniles, who were arrested for their alleged involvement in the murder of a minor student. The court had orally observed, “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?” It further warned that if the delay in publishing the results was intentional, those responsible would be held accountable.
The incident dates back to late February when Shahabas, a student of MJ Higher Secondary School, Thamarassery, Kozhikode, sustained serious head injuries during a violent clash between students of his school and Thamarassery GVHSS. The dispute erupted during a farewell event at a tuition centre. Despite teachers’ efforts to calm tensions through WhatsApp messages, the situation escalated near the tuition centre, leading to the fatal attack.
Although Shahabas was not a student of the tuition centre, he had been called there while running an errand. After the attack, he was taken home by a friend. Initially, his family, unaware of the attack, suspected drug use due to his weakened condition. Upon discovering the truth, Shahabas was rushed first to Thamarassery Taluk Hospital and later transferred to Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on March 1.
Police charged the five juveniles with murder, wrongful restraint, unlawful assembly, and voluntarily causing grievous injuries. The accused allegedly used weapons, including a truncheon and a nunchaku, during the attack. Since their arrest, the juveniles have remained in judicial custody, where they also appeared for their Class 10 examinations.
With IANS inputs