NEW DELHI, Apr 17: The Women Reservation Act 2023, which provides 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures, has come into force on Thursday to enable the proposed amendment currently under discussion in Parliament.
An official explained that the notification of the law was necessary, as the proposed amendment could not be implemented unless the parent Act was brought into force.
Although the Constitution Amendment Bill had been passed by Parliament and became a law in 2023, it was not operationalised earlier as it was not notified.
“Unless a law comes into force, its amendment cannot be implemented. Therefore, it has been brought into force with effect from April 16,” the official said.
The Act was officially notified from April 16, during ongoing parliamentary debate on amendments aimed at its implementation in 2029.
Another official, citing “technical reasons,” said that although the law has now come into force, the reservation cannot be implemented in the current Lok Sabha.
He added that women’s reservation will be implemented only after a delimitation exercise based on the next Census.
The notification stated: “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.”
In September 2023, Parliament passed the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’, commonly known as the Women’s Reservation Act, marking a major step towards increasing women’s representation in legislative bodies.
The Act provides for reservation of one-third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.
Under the 2023 law, implementation was linked to the completion of a delimitation exercise after the 2027 Census, meaning it would not be enforceable before 2034.
The three bills currently under discussion in the Lok Sabha — the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Delimitation Bill, 2026, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 — have been introduced to enable implementation of the women’s quota by 2029, the report added. (Agency)
