LUCKNOW, July 8 -- In a major relief to the Uttar Pradesh government, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on Monday dismissed both the writ petitions challenging the state government's June 16 order for the merger of government-run primary schools and upper primary schools.

The court asserted that pairing (merger) of schools does not violate Article 21A of the Constitution.

Article 21A guarantees the right to education as a fundamental right for children between the ages of 6 and 14 years.

A single judge bench of Justice Pankaj Bhatia passed the order on Monday, observing: "The mandate of Article 21A of Constitution cannot be presumed to be decided to hold that the free and compulsory education to the children in between the ...