Delhi High Court Rejects Plea For Immediate Women’s Reservation Bill Implementation In 2024 Lok Sabha Polls; Details Here

The government, represented by a top lawyer, confirmed the legal status of the bill, effectively putting the brakes on the plea for rushed action. This means 33% of seats in the next Lok Sabha election will be reserved for women, a landmark decision enshrined in law.

New Delhi: A plea to force speedy implementation of the Women’s Reservation Bill for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections hit a snag at the Delhi High Court. The court tossed out the case because the bill had already become a law, meaning reservation for women in the Indian parliament was official. The government, represented by a top lawyer, confirmed the legal status of the bill, effectively putting the brakes on the plea for rushed action. This means 33% of seats in the next Lok Sabha election will be reserved for women, a landmark decision enshrined in law, as per a report carried by news agency IANS.

“It is an exercise after the census. It has been engrafted under the Act. It has been debated in parliament… This is publicity litigation,” the ASG said.

The petitioner, while not challenging the Act or Bill’s validity, sought time-bound implementation of women’s reservations.

“I am not challenging the Act or the Bill…In the history of India, for the first time, the parliament has unanimously passed the bill. For 75 years, there has been no representation. Let them come and say we can do it in a time-bound manner. I am not challenging anything. I am only trying so that it can be done in a time-bound manner. Otherwise, it is not going to happen,” the petitioner’s counsel said.

The court noted the parliamentary stipulation for delimitation before women’s reservation and suggested challenging the provision’s validity. It stressed the ongoing matter in the Supreme Court and the need for the petitioner to either seek quashing or present compelling grounds.

With the PIL withdrawn, Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Mini Pushkarna granted the petitioner, lawyer Yogamaya MG, the liberty to approach the Supreme Court, where a similar petition is already pending. Last week, Justice Subramonium Prasad refused to entertain the same matter and observed that the prayers resembled a PIL, suggesting the petitioner withdraw the plea and file a fresh PIL.

The court had granted the petitioner the liberty to file a new PIL properly framed according to the Delhi High Court rules. The counsel for the Central government had objected to the maintainability of the plea, stating its nature as a PIL.

Although the plea was withdrawn, the counsel had expressed intent to contest the petition when refiled. The petition had sought direction for the Centre to provide an expedited date for implementing the Women’s Reservation Bill, 2023, considering the prolonged uncertainty surrounding the delimitation process.

It had also sought direction from the Election Commission to issue a directive to political parties, soliciting their responses and plans for the swift implementation of the bill before the 2024 general elections. Despite formal communication to the Prime Minister and the Election Commissioner, the petitioner has claimed to have received no acknowledgment as of now.

(With inputs from agencies)