The Women's Reservation Act 2023 is applicable across the country, with the government issuing a notification amid debate in Parliament.

News Topical, Digital Desk : The Nari Shakti Vandan Act, 2023, which provides 33 percent reservation for women in legislative bodies, came into effect on Thursday. The Union Law Ministry issued a notification to this effect late in the evening.

It was not clarified why this Act was made effective on April 16, while Parliament is currently debating whether to amend the law and implement it in 2029. It is being discussed that this was done to protect the Nari Shakti Vandan Act, 2023.

What was said in the notification?

The notification said, "In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Constitution (106th 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."

In September 2023, Parliament passed the Nari Shakti Vandana Act (Women's Reservation Act). This was a significant step toward increasing women's representation in legislative bodies. The Act provided for the reservation of one-third of the seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.

The law will not be implemented before 2034

Under the 2023 law, women's reservation would not be implemented before 2034 because it was linked to the completion of the delimitation process after the 2027 census. The three bills currently being debated in the Lok Sabha were introduced by the government to implement reservation for women in 2029.

Meanwhile, officials say that though the Act has come into force, reservation cannot be implemented in the current House as it can be implemented only after completing the delimitation process based on the next census.

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