Kochi: A day after the Kerala High Court criticised the state government for withholding the Class 10 results of students accused in the Shahabas murder case, Education Minister V Sivankutty on Wednesday announced that all five students have passed.

The High Court on Tuesday observed that, “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?” The court warned that if the delay in publishing the results was deliberate, the responsible officers would be held accountable.

Shahabas, was a 10th standard student who was reportedly attacked by his fellow tuition students in Kozhikode. Five minors were booked, with allegations that they coordinated the attack through WhatsApp and Instagram groups. Shahabas succumbed to a fatal skull fracture.

Police have charged the accused with murder, wrongful restraint, unlawful assembly, and voluntarily causing grievous hurt. All five are currently in judicial custody and wrote their Class 10 board examinations while in detention.