New Delhi: Congress leader Jaya Thakur has moved the Supreme Court seeking immediate implementation of the Women's Reservation Bill, passed by both Houses of Parliament, before the 2024 general elections. The Women's Reservation Bill received the nod of President Droupadi Murmu, days after its historic passage in both Houses of Parliament, and with her assent, the legislation has been turned into a law. Officially known as Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, the law proposes to reserve one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and all state Assemblies for women.
Thakur’s plea contended that in the democratic process, all corners of society's representation are required, but for the last 75 years, there has been no adequate representation of women in Parliament as well as in the state legislatures. “This is the long pending demand for decades and Parliament rightly passed the above act for 33% reservation, but putting the clog that the said Act will be implemented after the delimitation is undertaken for these purposes after the relevant figures for the first census, which may kindly be declared as Void-ab-initio, for immediate implementation of the 33% women reservation”, said the plea.
The plea contended that the constitutional amendment must not be withheld for an uncertain period. The plea argued that in the present amendment, there is no requirement for the census as well as delimitation because several seats are already declared and the amendment gave 33% reservation for existing seats. “Putting the clog is defeating all aims and objects of women's representation in the democratic process”, said the plea.
