The Himachal Pradesh High Court has upheld the State Government’s decision to merge Government Middle School, Sandyar, in Bilaspur district, with Government Senior Secondary School, Chhat, holding that the decision could not be termed arbitrary when the students had access to a nearby school.
A Division Bench of Justice Ajay Mohan Goel and Justice Yogesh Jaswal passed the order on September 7, 2026, in CWP No. 14564 of 2026.
The School Management Committee challenged the June 10, 2026 notification under which Government Middle School, Sandyar, covering Classes 6 to 8, was merged with Government Senior Secondary School, Chhat. The petitioner sought continuation of the school as an independent institution along with its sanctioned teaching staff, infrastructure and educational facilities.
The State informed the Court that the two schools were only 1.5 kilometres apart by road and 500 metres on foot. At the time of the merger, Sandyar Middle School had 12 students. Eleven students were admitted to Government Senior Secondary School, Chhat, while one joined Government High School, Androli. Two teaching staff members and one non-teaching staff member were also adjusted. The separate Government Primary School at Sandyar, catering to Nursery to Class 5, continued to function.
The Bench noted that the students had been shifted to a nearby school and that the short distance was not disputed by the petitioner. The Court held that the Government’s decision could not, in these circumstances, be treated as arbitrary.
“In light of this fact, we are of the considered view that the decision of the Government to shift the students from Government Middle School Sandyar to a nearby School cannot be per se termed to be arbitrary, as now the resources of the Education Department, that is to say, its teaching staff as also its non-teaching staff can be better utilized in other Schools where there is appropriate student strength, rather than wasting the resources in a School which hardly has any students.”
The Court further observed that it could have considered interference if the new school had been located at a distance making easy access difficult. However, no such grievance had been raised by the students.
The High Court declined to interfere with the merger, holding that it found no arbitrariness in the impugned decision. The writ proceedings were accordingly closed, and pending miscellaneous applications, if any, were also disposed of.
Case Title: School Management Committee v. State of Himachal Pradesh and others
Case Number: CWP No. 14564 of 2026
