20.6.2012 (UNI) The Karnataka High Court today dismissed a PIL filed by eminent writers opposing the state government's decision to close down Kannada schools that had five or less students enrolled.

The writers that included G S Shivarudrappa, Chandrashekara Kambara, Girish Karnad and U R Anantha Murthy had opposed in the PIL that it would affect the Kannada schools and contended that no schools in the state should be closed.

They demanded quashing of the government order to this effect.

However, the Division Bench of the High Court, including Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen and B V Nagaratna, today dismissed the petition and said the Government can go ahead with its decision.

The government had argued that its decision to shift the children to bigger schools within three km of the old school will benefit them and drive competitiveness. The government had said it would also provide Rs 300 stipend for those students who would be shifted.

The Bench ruled that the government can shift the students from such schools and close down those with less than five students. But if the shifted school was more than three km from their homes, it should provide transport facilities.

Karnataka has 131 primary schools that has zero students and 551 with less than five students. It also has 2480 schools which had enrolled less than 10 students.

Among higher secondary schools, 72 of them had no students, while 380 had less than five.

The government has already shifted 370 such schools. UNI