Women's reservation act notified; Congress slams 'constitutional anomaly'

The Centre notified the Nari Shakti Vandhan Adhiniyam Act, providing 33% women's reservation. Congress leader KC Venugopal slammed the move, calling it a 'constitutional anomaly' and accusing the government of treating Parliament as a 'rubber stamp'.

The Union Law and Justice Ministry has notified the Nari Shakti Vandhan Adhiniyam Act, which grants 33 per cent of reservation to women in Parliament, even as the Lower House continued to debate amendments to its implementation for 2029 elections. The notification has elicited strong reactions from MPs, with Congress leader KC Venugopal has claiming that the treasury benches in the Lok Sabha are treating Parliament like a "rubber stamp" without any regard for law making procedure.

Congress Slams 'Constitutional Anomaly'

Calling it an "extraordinary constitutional anomaly", Venugopal accused the Centre of having an "unprepared and lackadaisical approach" to serious lawmaking. "We are witnessing an extraordinary constitutional anomaly unfold before our eyes. The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam passed in September 2023 has come into force with being published in the Gazette only at 9.55pm last night," the Congress leader said on X, reposting in Lok Sabha speech.

"It is shocking that the Government brought amendments to a Constitutional provision that was not even published in the Gazette! This shows the Government's unprepared and lackadaisical approach to serious lawmaking," he added.

Such a notification is yet another evidence of the treasury benches treating Parliament as no more than a rubber stamp, as they are not bothered about procedures or protocols, said Venugopal.

Implementation Timeline and Amendment Debate

The women's reservation act 2023 came into force on April 16, according a notification by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice.

"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," the notification read.

The notification on Thursday night comes even as Parliament continues its discussion on amending certain provisions of the act for the second day today. The original act had laid down that Women's reservation will be implemented after the 2027 census and subsequent delimitation will be carried out. The current amendments in Lok Sabha delink the implementation of reservation to the census, allowing for it to be implemented for the 2029 general elections.

Congress MPs have accused the Centre of misleading the House on the Women's Reservation Bill and opposed its linkage with the proposed Delimitation Bill, demanding an all-party meeting before voting. Congress MP Mallu Ravi alleged the Prime Minister Narendra Modi was making "misleading statements" on the floor of the House and added that the party had sought an all-party meeting ahead of the vote. (ANI)

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