The Women’s Reservation Act 2023, which mandates a 33 per cent quota for women in legislative bodies, officially came into force on Thursday following a notification by the Union Law Ministry.
There is currently some confusion as to why the 2023 legislation was notified with effect from April 16, particularly as Parliament is already in the middle of debating amendments to the same law to ensure its implementation by 2029. Regarding the delay, one official cited certain “technical issues” without going into specifics. In spite of the legal requirement, the official noted that this cannot be done with the current House of Representatives.
In reality, it depends on a delimitation process that will have to take place after the findings of the next census. According to the official notice, it was noted that it has been done “by virtue of the powers conferred by the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023, the provisions shall come into force on the April 16, 2026”.
The act was originally brought into being by the Parliament of India in September 2023 under the name of ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’. Despite its importance as a major step towards empowering women politically, initially, it was anticipated that the quota would not be in full operation until 2034 due to the link to the delimitation process of the 2027 Census.
Currently, there are three bills before the Indian Lok Sabha that aim at altering the timeline so that women can benefit from the reservation by 2029 elections.
Also read: PM urges Opposition not to politicise women’s quota bill
Follow us
