India's Supreme Court urges government to implement Women's Reservation Act before 2029 elections

The Supreme Court, in a bench comprising Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan, issued a notice to the Union government seeking its response to a public interest litigation that asks for the Women’s Reservation Act to be applied before the 2029 Lok Sabha elections without awaiting a new delimitation exercise. The petition argues that the reservation of one‑third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies—mandated by the Constitution (128th Amendment) Act, 2023—should be based on the 2001 or 2011 Census data rather than the post‑2026 Census and subsequent delimitation, which have been postponed. It notes that women currently hold about 13.6 % of Lok Sabha seats and roughly 14 % of Rajya Sabha seats, far below global averages.

The plea comes amid recent parliamentary setbacks, including the rejection of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which sought to expand Lok Sabha strength and enable nationwide delimitation, and the withdrawal of the Delimitation Bill, 2026 by the Centre. The Court’s request signals heightened judicial scrutiny of the implementation timeline for gender‑quota legislation ahead of the next general election.