We plan to file a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court challenging the bill, and will call on President Pratibha Patil to return it,' he said.

Murmurs of protest had already started after the bill was first passed in the Rajya Sabha July 20 - with demonstrations by groups of academicians in Hyderabad the next day, a rally by over 700 women in Kolhapur in Maharashtra July 23, and in Bhopal five days later.

When told that there was at least some legislation that finally guarantees children the right to education, Sadgopal said: 'There is already such a guarantee in the constitution of India, you don't need another law for the purpose.'

He said there was 'not a word on pre-primary education' while a neighbourhood school had not been defined and the legislation left it open to the states to decide on it.

Sadgopal, rights activist Medha Patkar and others also called on Speaker Meira Kumar July 23 under the banner of All India Forum for Right to Education.

'We presented to her that the bill had been introduced and passed (then in the Rajya Sabha) without a single public hearing for a legislation with such far-reaching consequences,' he said.