Ahead of the upcoming special session of Parliament, the Supreme Court is set to consider a plea on Monday for the immediate enforcement of 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state Legislative Assemblies. The petition, filed by Congress leader Jaya Thakur, advocates that the one-third quota for women should not be delayed and urges the prompt implementation of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, which mandates the reservation. The plea argues against the provision in the law that delays the implementation until after the next decennial Census and delimitation exercise, emphasizing that women, despite constituting nearly half of the population, are underrepresented in elected bodies.
The Parliament is expected to address the Women’s Reservation (Amendment) Bill during a special session starting April 16, a move supported by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a letter to all political party leaders. Stressing the importance of increased female participation in legislative bodies for India’s development, the Prime Minister called for the law’s genuine implementation nationwide. However, the Congress has raised objections to the proposed special session, citing a breach of the Model Code of Conduct amidst ongoing Assembly election campaigns in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. The party has requested an all-party meeting on delimitation before any legislative action on women’s reservation implementation.
