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Polity & Governance GS 2 In the news 11 times

Women's Reservation

Legislative History and Preceding Bills

The Women's Reservation Bill had a long and contentious parliamentary history spanning nearly three decades before its 2023 passage.

Key details
  • Earlier versions were introduced in 1996 (11th Lok Sabha, lapsed), 1998 (12th Lok Sabha, lapsed), 1999 (13th Lok Sabha, lapsed), and 2008 (passed in Rajya Sabha but lapsed on dissolution of Lok Sabha in 2014).
  • The 2023 bill was piloted in a special session of Parliament held in the newly inaugurated Parliament building.
  • It was numbered as the Constitution (128th Amendment) Bill, 2023 during parliamentary proceedings but became the 106th Amendment Act upon enactment — the difference arises because constitutional amendment bills are numbered sequentially when introduced, while Acts are numbered by the count of actual constitutional amendments ratified.
  • OBC sub-quota within the women's reservation was a key Opposition demand that remains unaddressed in the current law.
In the news

Tracked since March 09, 2026 · last seen June 29, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes

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