Government Notifies Women's Reservation Act, Amid Ongoing Parliamentary Debate on Amendments

Historic Women's Reservation Act Comes into Force, but Questions Remain

The Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, a landmark legislation providing a 33 percent reservation for women in legislatures, officially came into effect on Thursday following a notification issued by the Union Law Ministry. This significant step aims to increase women's representation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

However, the timing of the notification has raised questions, as it takes effect from April 16, 2026, even as Parliament is currently debating amendments to enable the law's implementation by 2029. The notification stated that the Centre, exercising its powers under the Act, had appointed April 16, 2026, as the date from which its provisions would come into effect. This law, passed in September 2023 as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, marked a significant step toward increasing women's representation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies by reserving one-third of seats.

Despite coming into force, the reservation will not be immediately operational. Under the existing framework, its implementation is linked to the completion of the delimitation exercise following the next Census, expected after 2027, which could delay rollout until 2034. To address this, the government has introduced fresh bills in the Lok Sabha aimed at advancing the timeline to 2029.

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Officials clarified that while the Act is now in force, the quota cannot be implemented in the current House until delimitation based on updated Census data is carried out.