SC to hear Congress leader’s plea seeking implementation of Women’s Reservation Bill on January 22

The Supreme Court will hear Congress leader Jaya Thakur’s petition on January 22, demanding immediate implementation of the Nari Shakti Vandan Act-2023 so that one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies can be reserved for women before the general elections. . ,

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Dutta on Tuesday said no lawyer has appeared for the Center and posted the matter for further hearing on January 22.

Senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for Thakur, said, “There is urgency in this matter. If the law is implemented, it will be made effective during the general elections. Justice Khanna said, “Look I am not saying anything… let the other side come. We will hear the matter next Monday.” On November 3, 2023, the apex court said it would be “very difficult” for the court to strike down the part of the women’s reservation law that says it will come into force after the census.

It had refused to issue notice on the petition filed by Thakur and asked the petitioner’s counsel to serve a copy to the lawyer representing the Centre.

On September 21 last year, the watershed bill to reserve one-third seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies had received parliamentary approval.

The Constitution Amendment Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha almost unanimously and by the Rajya Sabha unanimously.

The law will take some time to be implemented because the next census and the subsequent delimitation process – redrawing of Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies – will find out the special seats to be earmarked for women.

The quota for women in the Lok Sabha and Assemblies will continue for 15 years and Parliament can subsequently extend the period of benefit.

While there is a quota for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) women, the opposition had demanded that its benefits be extended to Other Backward Classes.

Since 1996, there have been several attempts to get this bill passed in Parliament. The last time such an attempt was made was in 2010, when the Rajya Sabha approved a bill for women’s reservation, but it could not be passed in the Lok Sabha.

Data shows that women MPs constitute about 15 per cent of the total strength of the Lok Sabha, while their representation in many state assemblies is less than 10 per cent.

On September 29 last year, President Draupadi Murmu had given his assent to this bill.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)