NEW DELHI: The Women’s Reservation Act, 2023, which gives 33 per cent quota to women in legislative assemblies, came into effect on Thursday giving effect to the proposed amendment being discussed in Parliament.
One of the officials explained that bringing the law into force is necessary because the proposed amendment would not have come into effect without it.
The Constitution Amendment Bill became law, but it did not become part of the Constitution because the government did not bring it into force.
If the law does not enter into force, how can the proposed amendment to it be implemented? Hence, it came into effect from April 16, the official explained.
The 2023 law was notified with effect from April 16 in the midst of debate in Parliament to amend the same law for implementation in 2029.
On Thursday night, another official referred to the “technical aspects” of the law coming into effect without going into details. The official said that although the law has come into force, reservation cannot be implemented in the current assembly.
The official said that reservation for women could be implemented after the demarcation process is conducted on the basis of the upcoming census.
“In exercise of the powers conferred under sub-section of Section 1 of the Constitution Act, 2023, the Central Government hereby fixes April 16, 2026 as the date on which the provisions of the said Act shall come into force,” the notification said.
In September 2023, Parliament passed the Nari Shakti Vandhan Adhinyam Act, commonly known as the Women’s Reservation Act, in an important step towards enhancing women’s representation in legislative bodies.
The law stipulates that one-third of the seats are reserved for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.
Under the 2023 law, the reservation will not become enforceable before 2034, because it is linked to the completion of the border demarcation process after the 2027 census.
The government has introduced the three bills ‘Constitution Bill, 2026’, ‘Delimitation Bill, 2026’ and ‘Union Territories Bills, 2026’ which are currently being discussed in the Lok Sabha, so that the women’s quota can be implemented in 2029.
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