- 1 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:23312-DB WP No. 22871 of 2025 IN THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA AT BENGALURU DATED THIS THE 27TH DAY OF APRIL, 2026 PRESENT THE HON'BLE MR. VIBHU BAKHRU, CHIEF JUSTICE AND THE HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE C.M. POONACHA WRIT PETITION NO. 22871 OF 2025 (EDN-RES-PIL) BETWEEN: 1. SMT. RASHMI B.V. W/O. SAMEERA AGED ABOUT 41 YEARS R/AT NO. 44, SUGGI S1, 16TH CROSS, 6TH MAIN MALLESHWARAM WEST BENGALURU - 560 055 …PETITIONER (BY SRI ABHISHEK M.R., ADVOCATE) AND: 1. STATE OF KARNATAKA BY ITS PRINCIPAL SECRETARY PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION M.S. BUILDING, DR. AMBEDKAR VEEDHI BENGALURU - 560 001 2. THE COMMISSIONER FOR PUBLIC INSTRUCTIONS PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION NEW PUBLIC OFFICES NRUPATHUNGA ROAD K.R. CIRCLE, BENGALURU - 560 001 3. THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTIONS PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION NEW PUBLIC OFFICES Digitally signed by SRIDEVI S Location: High Court of Karnataka - 2 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:23312-DB WP No. 22871 of 2025 NRUPATHUNGA ROAD K.R. CIRCLE, BENGALURU - 560 001 4. THE BEO GOVERNMENT EDUCATION OFFICE 250, KAMARAJ ROAD SIVANCHETTI GARDENS BENGALURU, KARNATAKA - 560 001 5. KARNATAKA PUBLIC SCHOOL BY ITS PRINCIPAL 13TH CROSS, MALLESHWARAM BENGALURU - 560 003 …RESPONDENTS (BY MS. NILOUFER AKBAR, AGA FOR R-1 TO 4 & R-5 SERVED & UNREPRESENTED) THIS WRIT PETITION IS FILED UNDER ARTICLES 226 AND 227 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA READ WITH RULE 14(1) OF THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA (PUBLIC INTEREST LITIGATION) RULES, 2018 PRAYING TO ISSUE A WRIT OR ORDER DIRECTION IN MANDAMUS DIRECTING THE RESPONDENTS TO PASS NECESSARY ORDERS TO ALLOW ADMISSION OF MALE STUDENTS FOR CLASSES 8 AND ABOVE AT THE RESPONDENT No. 5 INSTITUTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH REPRESENTATION DATED 29.10.2024 (ANNEXURE-B) & ETC. THIS PETITION, COMING ON FOR ORDERS, THIS DAY, ORDER WAS MADE THEREIN AS UNDER: - 3 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:23312-DB WP No. 22871 of 2025 CORAM: HON'BLE MR. VIBHU BAKHRU, CHIEF JUSTICE and HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE C.M. POONACHA ORAL ORDER (PER: HON'BLE MR. VIBHU BAKHRU, CHIEF JUSTICE) 1. The petitioner has filed the present petition, inter alia, praying that directions be issued to the respondents to pass necessary orders to allow admission of male students to class 8 and above, in the respondent No.5 Institution. The petitioner is essentially aggrieved by respondent No.5 School, being operated as a Girls School only beyond class 8. 2. The respondents have filed a statement of objection, inter alia, stating that respondent No.5 School initially functioned as "Government Girls High School" and later as "Government Girls PU College". It is also stated that the land on which the said institution functions was gifted by Mr. H. V. Nanjundaiah, who was the first Vice Chancellor of the University of Mysore. He had donated the land on which the respondent No.5 School is built specifically and exclusively for the purpose of running a Girls - 4 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:23312-DB WP No. 22871 of 2025 School only in order to promote the education of a girl child in the then Mysore State. 3. We consider it apposite to set out paragraph No.7 of the Statement of Objections, which indicates the rationale for running the respondent No.5 School as an exclusively Girls School. The same is reproduced below: "7. With the passage of time this main purpose/very object has been maintained in Respondent No.5 which is even today famous and reputed, as an institution only for girls beyond a certain grade i.e., standard 8 onwards so as to secure the continued enrolment and education of the girl child, particularly at the sensitive adolescent stage and to address socio cultural barriers that would otherwise impede their education. It may not be out of place to state that, in several parts of the State, particular in urban areas with dense population and in socially conservative locality, such Institutions only for girls have for decades played a crucial and critical role in enhancing the enrolment of girls and continuation of their education, ensuring their safety emotional security and mental well-being and comfort apart from addressing cultural barriers faced by parents in sending adolescent girls to co-educational campuses. The area in which the Respondent No.5 is situated is the one of the oldest and most conservative and orthodox areas in Bangalore which comprises of a number of other Government/Government aided schools from the academic year 2018-19 other KPS Co- Educational Schools and PU Colleges except Respondent No.5 providing of admissions to boys - 5 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:23312-DB WP No. 22871 of 2025 for classes 8 to 12 has been made convenient, easy and accessible." 4. It is also affirmed by the respondents that while implementing the Karnataka Public Schools Scheme, the State Government had consciously decided not to disturb the girls'-only character of some of the existing institutions, including respondent No.5, where the empirical data indicated as under: "a. female enrolment and completion rates were significantly higher; b. parents expressed preference for single-sex institutions especially girls beyond upper primary; and c. sufficient co-educational options existed in the neighbourhood for boys and girls." 5. It is also affirmed that for the aforesaid reasons, the Karnataka Public Schools across the State are not uniform or identical in configuration. Some of them are fully co-educational from classes 1 to class 12; some are co-educational up to a certain grade; and some of them are only-girls school. - 6 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:23312-DB WP No. 22871 of 2025 6. In the given facts, we are unable to accept that any interference with the said scheme is warranted on account of public interest. 7. The petition is accordingly dismissed. 8. Pending application stands disposed of. Sd/- (VIBHU BAKHRU) CHIEF JUSTICE Sd/- (C.M. POONACHA) JUDGE SD List No.: 2 Sl No.: 31