Kannada litterateurs file case against state govt

Noted Kannada literary figures have filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the high court questioning the state government’s decision to close down those government schools which have low enrollment of students.

Those who filed the PIL include poet GS Shivarudrappa, current Jnanpith awardee Chandrashekar Kambar and former awardees UR Ananthamurthy and Girish Karnad.

They have taken exception to primary and secondary education minister Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri’s statement that government schools with less percentage of attendance will be closed down.

The petitioners contend that it is not correct to close down the schools citing the excuse of shortage of students. It is the state government’s duty to provide complete education to the children.
It cannot forget its duty and close down the schools.

In the PIL, the petitioners have urged the court to quash the government’s order. It is likely to come up for hearing very soon in the high court.