Women's Reservation Act comes into force amid Parliament debate, Congress calls move ‘bizarre’

New Delhi: The Women's Reservation Act 2023, which provides 33 per cent quota for women in legislatures, came into force on Thursday, according to a notification issued by the Union Law Ministry. The Opposition-led Congress has termed the move bizarre as it is not clear why the 2023 Act was notified with effect from April 16, in the midst of an ongoing debate in Parliament to amend the same law for its implementation in 2029.

An official cited “technicalities” for bringing the law into force, without elaborating. Though the Act has come into force, the reservation cannot be implemented in the current House. Reservation for women can be implemented only after a delimitation exercise based on the next Census, the official told PTI.

The notification stated: “In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023, the Central Government hereby appoints the 16th day of April, 2026 as the date on which the provisions of the said Act shall come into force.”

In September 2023, Parliament had passed the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’, commonly known as the Women’s Reservation Act, marking a significant step towards enhancing women’s representation in legislative bodies.

The Act provides for reservation of one-third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative Assemblies.

Under the 2023 law, the reservation would not become enforceable before 2034, as it was linked to the completion of the delimitation exercise after the 2027 Census.

The three bills currently under debate in the Lok Sabha were introduced by the government to enable implementation of the women’s quota by 2029.

Congress reacts
The Congress on Thursday termed as “absolutely bizarre” the government notifying the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’ passed in September 2023, even as amendments to it are being debated and are set to be put to vote in the Lok Sabha on Friday.

Tagging a screenshot of the notification, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, “This is absolutely bizarre.”

He added, “The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam passed in September 2023 has come into force today while amendments to it are being debated and will be voted upon tomorrow. Completely puzzled.”