The Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023, popularly known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, is a constitutional amendment act that seeks to enhance women's representation in legislative bodies. It was introduced in the Lok Sabha on September 19, 2023, and received the President's assent on September 28, 2023, culminating a legislative debate that had been ongoing since 1996. The Act aims to solve the problem of low political participation and representation of women in decision-making bodies.
The Act works by inserting new articles into the Constitution of India to mandate the reservation of seats for women. Key provisions include the insertion of Article 330A, which reserves, as nearly as may be, one-third of the total seats in the Lok Sabha for women, including one-third of the seats already reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Similarly, Article 332A mandates the reservation of one-third of the seats in the Legislative Assembly of every State for women. The Act also amends Article 239AA to provide for one-third reservation for women in the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
The reservation will remain in force for a period of 15 years from the date it comes into effect, with a provision for extension by Parliament. However, the implementation of the reservation is deferred until after the first census and subsequent delimitation exercise conducted following the commencement of the Act. This amendment connects to the 73rd and 74th Amendments (1992), which mandated a 33% reservation for women in Panchayats and Municipalities by inserting Articles 243D(2) and 243T(2), respectively, ensuring representation at the grassroots level. The Act was originally introduced as the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, before becoming the 106th Constitutional Amendment Act. The amendments made by the Act will not affect the composition of the existing House of the People or Legislative Assemblies until their dissolution.