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Private schools gainsay Sibal’s law
R Sedhuraman
Our Legal Correspondent

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, has serious anomalies that are violative of the basic structure of the Constitution and as such was liable to be struck down, says a PIL filed in the apex court

New Delhi, March 22
Recently-enacted law for providing free and compulsory education to all children till the age of 14 has been challenged in the Supreme Court through a PIL by private schools, even as the Manmohan Singh government, claiming the legal guarantee as its historic achievement aimed at ensuring social equity, is gearing up for its implementation from April 1.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan today sought Centre’s response to the public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the 86th and 93rd Constitutional amendments for providing free and compulsory education and 27 per cent quota for students belonging to other backward classes (OBCs).

The Bench, including Justice Deepak Verma, issued notice to the Ministries of Law and Justice and Human Resources Development on the petition filed by Society for Unaided Private Schools of Rajasthan, Jaipur.

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, enacted by Parliament had “serious anomalies and provisions that are violative of the basic structure of the Constitution” and as such was “liable to be struck down,” the PIL said.