Echoes of Equity: Supreme Court Raps Centre on Women’s 33% Quota Delay

The Supreme Court issued a landmark warning about the persistent gender inequality in India, requesting the Centre and state governments to provide answers on the implementation of a 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies within four weeks. The bench, consisting of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan, called women “the biggest minority”, almost 48% of the population, and asked the question of why such equity depends on reservation at all, while at the same time it was investigating the government’s timeline for the census and delimitation.

The focus is on the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, the historic 106th Constitutional Amendment of September 2023, which was celebrated as a breakthrough for the reservation of one-third of seats in Parliament, Delhi’s assembly, and all state legislatures. However, its implementation is waiting for a new census and the redrawing of boundaries, thus causing courts to be flooded with petitions like the one from Congress leader Jaya Thakur, who expresses her disbelief at the fact that, after 75 years of independence, women still have to approach the judiciary to claim their rights in a democracy.

The march towards equity is being held up by several corollary issues. According to the Ministry of Women and Child Development’s report of July, the number of women candidates has risen gradually from a paltry 3% in the 1957 election to 10% in 2024. Women MPs in the Lok Sabha increased from 22 in the first House to 75 in the 18th (14% of the total), whereas the number of female members in the Rajya Sabha rose from 15 in 1952 to 42 nowadays (17%). The report points out that this achievement is the result of a “whole-of-government, whole-of-society” effort which places women’s empowerment at the centre.

While answers are awaited, the question remains: Will the administrative steps cause delays in participation, or will they lead to a more courageous, far-reaching horizon? On this pivot of ballots and benches, what would be your next move?