‘Bill reserving 33% seats for women passed, election to urban local bodies to be over by April end’

New Delhi: The Nagaland government told the Supreme Court on Friday that the state Assembly has passed the Bill reserving 33 per cent of the seats in urban local bodies (ULB) for women and the election process will be over by April 30 next year.

The Nagaland Assembly unanimously passed the Bill on Thursday, resolving the contentious quota issue and paving the way for municipal elections in the state after two decades. Civic polls were last held in the state in 2004.

The provision for one-third reservation of seats for women was included in the Bill, as directed by the Supreme Court, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said after it was passed.

The apex court is hearing a petition filed by People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and others seeking 33 per cent reservation for women in the ULBs in the northeastern state.

During the hearing on Friday, the counsel for Nagaland told a bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul that since the bill has now been passed, the relevant rules will be framed expeditiously.

‘We also want to state before your lordships that this whole procedure will be completed and we will declare the results by April 2024,’ the counsel told the bench, also comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Ahsanuddin Amanullah.

In its order, the bench noted, ‘According to him (Nagaland’s counsel), the rules will be framed within a month and the election process will be over by April 30, 2024.’

The bench has posted the matter for further hearing on December 11.

While hearing the matter in July, the SC had slammed both the Centre and the Nagaland government over non-implementation of the constitutional scheme of one-third reservation for women in ULBs.