Women Reservation Bill 2023

Modi-led Central Government has tabled the Women's Reservation Bill on 19th of Sep 2023 in a special parliament session. 

This is not the first time when this bill has come into the limelight of parliament. It own a very long journey.

The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam or Women's Reservation Bill or The Constitution (108th Amendment) Bill, 9th March 2010, 

is a bill passed in the Parliament of India which says to amend the Constitution of India to reserve 1/3 of all seats in the lower house of Parliament of India, the Lok Sabha, and in all state legislative assemblies for women.

The seats were proposed to be reserved in rotation and would have been determined by draw of lots in such a way that a seat would be reserved only once in three consecutive general elections.

Women's Reservation Bill Enacted by Parliament of India.

The Rajya Sabha passed the bill on 9th March 2010. However, the Lok Sabha never voted on the bill. The bill lapsed, since it was still pending in Lok Sabha and the Lok Sabha expired two consecutive times in 2014 and 2019.

History of WRB.

In 1987, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s government constituted a 14-member committee led by Union Minister "Margaret Alva" to give recommendations for improving the status of women. Rajiv Gandhi introduced the Constitution Amendment Bill to provide one-third reservation for women in rural and urban local bodies. The Bill was passed in Lok Sabha but failed to get passed in Rajya Sabha in September 1989.

In 1992, Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao's government passed the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts which mandated 33.3 percent reservation for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions.

The women's reservation bill was first introduced by HD Deve Gowda-led government, as Constitution (81st Amendment) Bill, 1996 in the 11th Lok Sabha on 12 September 1996. It was then referred to the Joint Committee of the two Houses of Parliament, but the bill lapsed with the dissolution of the 11th Lok Sabha.

The joint parliamentary committee report examining the Women’s Reservation Bill in 1996 recommended that reservation be provided for women of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) once the Constitution was amended to allow for reservation for OBCs.

In 1993, a constitutional amendment was passed in India that called for a random one-third of village council leader, or sarpanch, positions in gram panchayat, to be reserved for women.

Reservation for women in Panchayats and Municipalities was provided by the insertion of articles 243D and 243T in the Constitution vide the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 and the Constitution (74th Amendment) Act, 1992, respectively. 

The next step towards this direction was the introduction of the Constitution (81st Amendment) Bill, 1996 in the Eleventh Lok Sabha on September 12, 1996, which sought to reserve not less than one-third of the total number of seats filled by direct election in the House of the People and in the Legislative Assemblies of the States for women.

The said Bill was referred to the Joint Committee of Parliament which further strengthened some of the provisions of the Bill by extending the provision of reservation for women even in those cases where the number of seats was less than three in a State or a Union territory. 

The Constitution (81st Amendment) Bill, 1996, as reported by the Joint Committee, however, lapsed with the dissolution of the 11th Lok Sabha.

Again, an attempt was made to provide reservations for women in Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies and in the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi for a period of fifteen years from the commencement of the proposed enactment, by introducing the Constitution (84th Amendment) Bill, 1998 in Lok Sabha on December 14, 1998. The said Bill lapsed on the dissolution of the 12th Lok Sabha.

Yet, another attempt was made by introducing the Constitution (85th Amendment) Bill, 1999, in Lok Sabha on December 23, 1999.

 

However, this Bill also had not been pursued due to a lack of consensus amongst the political parties. 

The last such attempt was made in 2008 by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government introduced the Bill in Rajya Sabha, and it was passed in 2010. 

After that, it became the property of Lok Sabha where it could not be passed and lapsed because of dissolution.

There is a long-term plan to extend this reservation to parliament and legislative assemblies.

On 19th September 2023, Narendra Modi government introduced the bill as 128th Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2023 during Parliament's Special Session in Lok Sabha in new parliament building.

 

"Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam" will go to Rajya Sabha again, 

after it is passed from Lok Sabha.

Opposition On WRB. 

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday announced her support for the women's reservation bill in Lok Sabha during the debate on the legislation which proposes a 33 percent quota for women in Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.

“On behalf of the Indian National Congress, I stand in support of Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam 2023”, the Congress parliamentary party chief said.

Crediting her late husband Rajiv Gandhi, Gandhi said the former prime minister had brought in a constitutional amendment to decide women's representation in local body elections.

“It was defeated in Rajya Sabha by 7 votes. Later, the Congress Govt, under the leadership of PM PV Narasimha Rao, passed it in Rajya Sabha. As a result, we have 15 lakh elected women leaders across the country through local bodies. Rajiv Gandhi's dream is only partially complete. It will complete with the passing of this Bill”, she told the Lok Sabha.

On the 20th of September 2023, a debate took place between all the parties in parliament.
The list of speakers who will debate on behalf of the BJP includes Nirmala Sitharaman, Smriti Irani, Bharti Pawar, Aparajit Sarangi, Sunita Duggal, and Diya Kumari.
The Opposition has termed the Bill as an 'election jumla' and raised questions over the lack of OBC reservation and implementation timeline. 

The Congress says ''Women's Reservation Bill will not come into effect until after a census and delimitation.''

 

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also came in support of this bill but with some changes in reservation for OBC.

No matter what they debate, the bill has passed successfully in Lok Sabha on the 20th of Sep by 454-02 votes.

Women's Reservation Bill is something that was long pending from decades.

What is the process for this Bill to finally become a law?

First, both houses of the Parliament need to pass the Bill by a special majority. Then, according to provisions of Article 368, the Constitution Amendment Bill will require ratification by at least 50 percent of the States. Their consent is needed as it affects their rights.

Now, every eye has freeze on the time period in which this bill will become law.

                           

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