Context:
The implementation of the Women’s Reservation Act, 2023 is encountering constitutional and legal challenges, particularly concerning delimitation and equality principles.
Key Highlights:
- Government Initiative / Policy Details
- Proposal to increase Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 816.
- To ensure 33% reservation for women (~273 seats).
- Based on potential delimitation using 2011 Census data.
- Constitutional & Legal Issues
- Delimitation freeze in place until first Census after 2026 (via 42nd & 84th Amendments).
- Article 81 mandates uniform population-seat ratio across states.
- Concerns over violation of:
- “One person, one vote, one value” principle
- Right to equality (Article 14)
- Stakeholders Involved
- Parliament
- Election Commission
- Judiciary (potential legal scrutiny)
- Political parties and states
- Significance / Concerns
- Promotes gender representation in legislatures.
- Challenges:
- Legal hurdles in seat redistribution.
- Political sensitivity of inter-state seat allocation.
- Risk of constitutional litigation.
Relevant Prelims Points:
- Women’s Reservation Act, 2023: Provides 33% reservation in Lok Sabha & State Assemblies.
- Delimitation: Redrawing constituency boundaries based on census.
- Article 81: Allocation of Lok Sabha seats among states.
- Lok Sabha maximum strength: 550 (Article 81(1)(a)).
- Delimitation freeze extended till post-2026 Census.
Relevant Mains Points:
- Significance:
- Enhances women’s political empowerment.
- Strengthens inclusive democracy.
- Challenges:
- Balancing federal concerns and representation equity.
- Legal issues with altering population-seat ratio.
- Debate:
- Whether increasing seats vs redistributing existing ones.
- Institutional implications:
- Need for constitutional amendments.
- Role of Delimitation Commission.
- Way Forward
- Build political consensus across states.
- Ensure transparent delimitation process.
- Possibly phase-wise implementation.
- Strengthen supporting measures:
- Capacity building for women leaders.
UPSC Relevance:
- GS Paper 2: Polity (Representation, Constitutional Amendments)
- Prelims: Article 81, Delimitation, Women’s Reservation Act