SC grants Centre 2 weeks to respond to Cong’s plea

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre to respond within two weeks to a plea by a Congress leader seeking immediate implementation of the Nari Shakti Vandan Act-2023 so that one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies can be reserved for women before the general elections due this year.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta allowed the Centre time after its advocate Kanu Agrawal said the government needs some time to file a comprehensive reply.

Senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for petitioner Jaya Thakur, said the court should issue a direction to ensure that the law can be implemented before the general elections.

Justice Khanna said the court cannot pass a direction at this stage and asked Singh to wait for the Centre’s reply.

It posted the matter for further hearing after three weeks.

On January 16, the top court had deferred the hearing of the plea till January 22 after counsel who were to appear on the Centre’s behalf were not available. The SC had said on November 3, 2023 it would be “very difficult” for the court to strike down a part of the Women’s Reservation Law that says it will come into effect after the Census.

On September 21, 2023, the watershed Bill to reserve one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies for women received the parliamentary nod.