Bill On Women’s Reservation Needs Careful Consideration Based On All-Party Consensus: Law Minister

During the pre-session all-party meeting last month, several parties demanded that the women’s reservation bill be taken up in the Winter Session of Parliament. 

New Delhi: Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiu on Thursday said that bringing a bill on women’s reservation needs careful consideration based on consensus among all political parties as stressed that gender justice is an important commitment of the government.

The statement came as a question was raised in the Lok Sabha on whether the government has taken any step to hold consultation with major political parties and other stakeholders on the Women's Reservation Bill to build consensus.

In a written response, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju stated that three bills were introduced in Parliament on the subject in the past and they lapsed due to “one reason or the other”.

“Gender justice is an important commitment of the government. The issue involved needs careful consideration on the basis of consensus among all political parties before a bill for amendment in the Constitution is brought before Parliament,” he said, as quoted by news agency PTI.

A poser in the same question sought to know whether it is a practice for the Centre to hold consultations for all legislative drafts to build consensus before introducing them in Parliament. To this, he stated that according to the pre-legislative consultation policy document, all the draft legislations are to be published or placed in the public domain in such manner as specified by the department or ministry concerned for pre-legislation consultation.

“However, an exception has been carved out in the document that if the department or ministry concerned is of the view that it is not feasible or desirable to hold pre-legislative consultation, it may record the reasons in the note for the Cabinet,” he noted.

During the pre-session all-party meeting last month, several parties demanded that the women’s reservation bill be taken up in the Winter Session of Parliament. 

The parties which suggested that the bill be brought for discussion in this session include TMC, YSR Congress, and the DMK.

Previously, the 15th Lok Sabha could not pass the bill and the Constitution (108th Amendment) Bill, which had been pending in the Lower House since 2010. It lapsed following the dissolution of the Lower House in 2014. The bill was passed by Rajya Sabha and sent to Lok Sabha.

The bill, brought by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, had sought to provide for 33 per cent reservation for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies for 15 years.

Any bill pending in Lok Sabha lapses with the dissolution of the House. Bills introduced and pending in Rajya Sabha are put in the ‘live register’ and can be taken up subsequently.

(With Agency Inputs)