SMK Agama Tun Datu Mustapha disciplinary unit secretary Muliati Alihuddin, 42, said the five students were not issued demerit points as Zara’s death remains under police investigation and is currently the subject of court proceedings.

The 56th witness said this when questioned by lawyer Shahlan Jufri, who is representing Zara’s mother in the inquest before coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan.

Muliati also confirmed that in September, the school received a complaint of another bullying incident, involving a male student who was allegedly slapped and kicked.

Following the complaint, two male students were suspended for a week, and later referred to the school’s counselling unit.

She said the suspension was imposed because the case involved physical contact, whereas the case involving the five students and Zara did not.

The witness also acknowledged that the five students had breached school regulations by holding an unauthorised meeting and using abusive language.

Reading from her deposition, Muliati told the court that Zara’s family declined to allow a post-mortem as they wished to expedite the burial on the same night, adding that she overheard the conversation while at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on July 17.

“I, along with another teacher, heard that Zara’s mother had contacted the hearse service,” she said, adding that she first came to know Zara when handling a sexual harassment complaint lodged by the girl in March.

Zara, 13, was confirmed dead at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on July 17, a day after she was found unconscious in a drain near her school dormitory.

The inquest continues tomorrow.