The Women’s Reservation Act, 2023 (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam), which provides a 33% reservation for women in the Parliament and state legislatures, came into force on Thursday, ahead of Friday's 4pm vote in the Lok Sabha which is discussing on the amendments to operationalise it.
The law was notified with effect from April 16, even as Parliament debates changes to enable its implementation from 2029.
Meanwhile, Opposition members in the Lok Sabha on Friday questioned the government's decision to move a bill to amend the 2023 women quota law before bringing the principal Act into force.
Soon after laying of parliamentary papers, Congress MP KC Venugopal rose to point out a law ministry notification issued last night around 10 pm to bring into force the 2023 women's reservation law with effect from April 16, much after a bill to amend the Act was introduced and discussed in the House.
DMK's Kanimozhi also flagged the issue, wondering the logic in discussing an amendment after notifying the principal Act. Opposition members sought a clarification from law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal who was present in the Lok Sabha.
Earlier, an official explained that bringing the law into force was essential, as its proposed amendment will not have come into effect without that.
The constitution amendment Bill became a law but did not become part of the Constitution as the government did not bring it into force. If a law does not come into force, how can its proposed amendment be implemented. Hence it was brought into force with effect from April 16, the official explained.
Another official had on Thursday night 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, the official said.
Reservation for women can be implemented after carrying out a delimitation exercise on the basis of the next Census, the official said.
The notification read: "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 passed the 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam', commonly known as the Women's Reservation Act, in a significant step towards enhancing women's representation in legislative bodies.
The act provided for the reservation of one-third of seats for women in Lok Sabha and state legislative Assemblies. Under the 2023 law, the reservation would not become enforceable before 2034, as it was tied to the completion of the delimitation exercise post 2027 Census.
The three bills -- 'The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026', 'The Delimitation Bill, 2026' and 'The Union Territories Laws (Amendment Bill), 2026' --currently being debated in Lok Sabha were brought in by the government so that the women quota could be implemented in 2029.
(With inputs from PTI)