Women Reservation Act 2023 comes into force via government notification

New Delhi: The Women Reservation Act 2023, which provides 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, has officially come into force following a notification issued by the Union Law Ministry.

According to the notification, the government has appointed April 16, 2026 as the date on which the provisions of the Act will take effect. However, officials clarified that the law will not be immediately implemented in the current House.

The implementation of the women’s quota is linked to a delimitation exercise based on the next Census, meaning the reservation cannot be enforced until that process is completed.

An official cited “technicalities” for bringing the law into force at this stage but did not provide further details.

The notification is based on the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023, which is commonly known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.

The law was originally passed by Parliament in September 2023 and is considered a landmark step aimed at increasing women’s representation in legislative bodies.

Under the Act, one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies are reserved for women, but its enforcement is tied to future delimitation following the next Census, meaning full implementation is expected only after that process is completed.

The timing of the notification comes amid ongoing parliamentary discussions on related bills aimed at aligning implementation timelines, raising questions over procedural and political intent.

(With PTI inputs)