KOZHIKODE: The Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has demanded that the SSLC results of the students accused in the Thamarassery Shahabas murder case be published by May 18. The commission has also said that the action of withholding the examination results is against the Child Rights Act.
The commission’s order states that the persons serving jail sentences are allowed for higher studies, attend exams and receive the results of the exams. If the results are to be withheld, it should be due to an offence committed by them during the exam.
However, the commission observed that no such thing happened in the case of the six students of Thamarassery Government Vocational Higher Secondary School who were accused in the death of 15-year-old Muhammed Shahabas. Shabas was beaten up by a group of students with nunchaku following a dispute at tuition centre on February 27. He died while undergoing treatment at the hospital.
“The students accused in the death of Shahabas in Thamarassery were shifted to the Kozhikode Juvenile Observation Home ahead of the SSLC 2025 examinations. They attended the examinations like any other student at the observation home, who are also accused in different cases. However, the exam board withheld the results of the six accused students and debarred them from the SSLC exam for three years.,” said commission chairperson K V Manoj Kumar.
“Though the secretary of the Kerala Board of Public Examination indicated that the department took such a step based on government guidelines, the commission concludes that if the students were given the permission to appear for the exams, their results should be published as per the Article 21 (Right to Life),” he added.
The commission also mentioned that since the accused students’ results were withheld, they could not apply for the Plus-I admissions that commenced on May 14 and will conclude on May 20. Therefore, it has instructed the general education department and the secretary of Kerala Board of Public Examination to publish their SSLC results by May 18.