Supreme Court Considers Plea for Women's Reservation Implementation Without Delimitation

The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Central government regarding a plea by Congress leader Jaya Thakur for the implementation of a law granting 33% reservation for women in parliamentary and state assemblies, without waiting for a delimitation exercise. The court emphasizes women's political equality.

The Supreme Court, on Monday, formally requested a response from the Central government following a legal petition submitted by Congress leader Jaya Thakur. The plea urges the immediate enforcement of the 33% reservation law for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, bypassing the need for a delimitation process.

A bench composed of Justices BV Nagarathna and R Mahadevan highlighted the constitutional promise of political and social equality, citing women as the largest minority group, comprising nearly 48% of the populace. Senior advocate Shobha Gupta, representing Thakur, lamented that women, even after 75 years of India's independence, still have to seek judicial redress for political representation.

The bench, acknowledging the arguments, questioned the timeline of delimitation exercises and emphasized the executive's role in enforcing legislation. A notice has been issued to the involved respondents, advocating for the immediate application of the law, despite the statutory prerequisite of census and delimitation activities.

The 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam' received the President's formal approval on September 28, 2023. Jaya Thakur, serving as general secretary of the Congress's women's wing in Madhya Pradesh, filed the plea aiming for an expedited roll-out of the reservation law before the 2024 general elections, despite the Supreme Court's earlier refusal to entertain the petition.

(With inputs from agencies.)