CURRENT AFFAIRS | POLITY | 29 APRIL 2026
CLAT GK + CONSTITUTIONAL LAW | Women’s Reservation | Articles 330A & 332A
At the Jan Aakrosh Mahila Sammelan in Varanasi on 28 April 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared women’s reservation a “national goal” and reiterated his government’s commitment to fully implementing the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Act, 2023 — popularly called the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. Modi accused opposition parties of having previously blocked the Bill in earlier Lok Sabhas, and pitched the law as a generational shift in Indian democracy. The political timing — ahead of upcoming state elections and the long-pending decennial Census — has reignited debate over when women’s reservation will actually kick in on the ground.
Background
The Women’s Reservation Bill has had a 27-year journey: first introduced in 1996 (HD Deve Gowda government), repeatedly lapsed in the Rajya Sabha (2008, 2010), and finally passed in September 2023 during the special session of Parliament that inaugurated the new Sansad Bhavan. Both Houses passed it almost unanimously (LS 454-2, RS 215-0), and President Droupadi Murmu gave assent on 28 September 2023. However, two operational riders — completion of the next Census and consequent delimitation — have meant that no woman has yet been elected to a reserved seat under this law.
Key Facts at a Glance
| Parameter | Detail |
|---|---|
| Short title | Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam |
| Constitutional Amendment | 128th Amendment, 2023 |
| Reservation % | 33% (one-third) for women |
| Applicable to | Lok Sabha + State Legislative Assemblies + Delhi Assembly |
| Initial duration | 15 years |
| Pre-conditions | Census + Delimitation |
| Rotation of seats | After every delimitation |
Constitutional / Legal Framework
- Article 330A (newly inserted) — reserves one-third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha, including those reserved for SC/STs.
- Article 332A (newly inserted) — same one-third reservation in State Legislative Assemblies.
- Article 239AA amended — extends reservation to NCT of Delhi Legislative Assembly.
- Article 82 — readjustment of constituencies after every Census; delimitation must precede reservation rotation.
- Article 14 + 15(3) — equality + special provision for women, the doctrinal foundation of affirmative action.
- Article 243D & 243T (73rd & 74th Amendments, 1992-93) — already provide one-third reservation for women in panchayats and municipalities.
CLAT Relevance
- GK angle: 128th Amendment Act 2023 — date of assent (28 Sept 2023); Geeta Mukherjee Committee (1996); 27-year legislative history.
- Legal Reasoning angle: Reservation as ‘reasonable classification’ under Article 14 read with Article 15(3); difference between ‘horizontal’ and ‘vertical’ reservations.
- Critical-thinking trap: Reservation does not create separate women-only constituencies forever — seats rotate after every delimitation cycle.
- Comparative angle: Rwanda (61% women in lower house — highest globally), Bangladesh (50 reserved seats), Pakistan (60 reserved seats); India’s pre-2023 share was ~14%.
- Likely passage trigger: “33% reservation for women” is a perennial passage theme — practice with Census + delimitation as the operational pre-conditions.
Test Yourself
Take this 10-question quiz on the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam:
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