Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal speaks in the Lok Sabha during a special session of the Parliament, in New Delhi as he tables the Women's Reservation Bill.
Credit: PTI Photo
The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023
* Introduced in Lok Sabha by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Sep 19, 2023
What’s in the Bill?
* One-third of seats shall be reserved for women in Legislative Assemblies, including in Delhi
* One-third of seats shall be reserved for women in the House of People (Lok Sabha)
* One-third of seats earmarked for SCs and STs will be reserved for women in Lok Sabha and Assemblies
* Quota will come into being only after an exercise of delimitation after the relevant figures of the first Census taken after the new quota law comes into effect.
* Seats reserved for women shall continue till such date as the Parliament may by law determine
* Rotation of seats reserved for women shall take effect after each subsequent exercise of delimitation as Parliament may by law determine
Statement of Objects and Reasons
* While women participate substantively in the Panchayat Raj institutions and municipal bodies, their representation in the state legislatures as well as in Parliament is still limited
* True empowerment of women will require greater participation of women in the decision making process as they bring different perspectives and enrich the quality of legislative debates and decision making
Amending the Constitution
* For a Bill to amend the Constitution to be considered as passed in a House, it requires at least half of the MPs to be present and voting in the House. Of this, two-third of the MPs should vote in favour.
* After both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha passes the Bill, at least half of the state Assemblies need to clear the Bill.
* Following this, the President has to give her assent and notified
When will the Bill come into being?
* Not immediately, Likely by 2029
* Depends when the government completes the census exercise
* After the Census is done, Delimitation of seats to be conducted
What's NOT there in the Bill?
* No mention of reservation for women in Rajya Sabha or Legislative Councils
* No quota within quota for OBCs