Lok Sabha approves Women’s Reservation Bill

The Constitution (128th Amendment) Bill, 2023 (Women’s Reservation Bill), has been passed by the Lok Sabha, retaining one-third of seats in parliament and state legislative assemblies for women. The bill, introduced by Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, will dedicate one-third of all sitings to women, including those already reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). The reservation will take effect after a delimitation exercise in the first census following the Act’s passage. Congress supported the bill but questioned its reliance on the census and delimitation exercise.

Lok Sabha approves Women’s Reservation Bill with a 454:2 margin

Sonia Gandhi, the chair of the Congress parliamentary party, stated that the Congress supported the legislation yet inquired why it depended on the population count and delimitation activity.

Women’s Reservation Bill

The Constitution (128th Amendment) Bill, 2023 (Women’s Reservation Bill), which retains one-third of the positions in parliament and State legislative assemblies for women, became law by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

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Bill gets passed by 454:2

Slips used by Lok Sabha members to cast their votes in favor of the bill’s passage. 2 MPs abstained from voting on the bill, which received 454 pro votes.

Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the bill in the LS

Arjun Ram Meghwal, the Union Minister of State for Law and Justice, presented the Bill on Tuesday, but MPs objected because they didn’t have a copy. The bill came up by voice vote after the administration insisted it gets “uploaded in the additional list of business.”

One-third of seats get reserved for women

The Lok Sabha and State legislative assemblies would dedicate one-third of all seating for women under the proposed bill. The women’s reservation will extend to the positions already set aside for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).

After the delimitation exercise, Lok Sabha approves Women’s Reservation Bill

Notably, the bill specifies that the reservation will take effect once a delimitation exercise occurs in the first census following the passage of the Act. Back in 2008, an attempt failed to introduce legislation along similar lines. Although that Bill passed by the Rajya Sabha in 2010, it never went into effect.

Congress supported the bill

Sonia Gandhi, the chair of the Congress parliamentary party, stated that Congress supported the bill but doubted why it depended on the census and delimitation exercise. She also emphasized the necessity of a caste census to guarantee reservations for women from OBCs, SCs, and STs.

Amit Shah responded to the opposition’s complaints

Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, responded to the complaints of opposition groups concerning reservations for OBCs by stating that the SC and ST categories and the general category, which includes OBCs, are among the three classes chosen under the current Constitution.

According to the bill, despite many initiatives to promote Nari Shakti, greater involvement by women in the decision-making process is necessary for true gender equality because they bring diverse viewpoints and improve the standard of legal discussions and decision-making processes.

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