The Madhya Pradesh High Court refused to close the only school in Umaria's Kotari village despite poor infrastructure, saying children's education must not suffer. It directed the gram panchayat and villagers to improve school facilities instead.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has refused to shut down the only school functioning in a village despite finding serious shortcomings in its infrastructure, observing that closing the institution would put the education of local children at risk. Instead, the Court directed the gram panchayat, local representatives and villagers to work together to improve the school's facilities, as reported by Bar and Bench.

The decision came while disposing of a public interest litigation (PIL) concerning Devarsi High School, the only operational school in Kotari Gram Panchayat in Umaria district.

A Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Vivek Rusia and Justice Pradeep Mittal noted that although the school lacked several basic facilities, withdrawing its recognition was not a practical solution because there was no alternative government school available in the village.

The Court observed that shutting the school would directly affect the education of children and stressed that efforts should instead focus on removing the deficiencies in the larger public interest.