New Delhi, Apr 13 (PTI) Expressing concerns over the “lack of transparency” in the proposed legislations on women’s reservation and delimitation, a group of civil society members and activists urged the Centre on Monday to place the draft bills in the public domain for wider consultation even as they “wholeheartedly” supported reservation for women in legislatures.
In a statement, signatories including Anjali Bhardwaj, Nivedita Menon, Annie Raja, Meera Shankar, Harsh Mander and Amrita Johri flagged concerns over the manner in which legislations are proposed to be introduced during the special extension of the Budget Session from April 16 to 18.
The proposed laws, which reportedly include amendments linked to women’s reservation and a delimitation exercise, are expected to have far-reaching implications for India’s electoral framework and democratic processes, the statement said.
Highlighting their key demands, the signatories said the government should “make the text of the draft bills public immediately and ensure wide dissemination through various modes, and in multiple languages”.
They also urged that the draft legislations be “put through robust public consultation, in line with the Pre-legislative Consultation Policy”.
Raising concerns over the process, the statement said “the citizens of the country have been kept completely in the dark about the contents of the bills, their implications and the rationale” behind those, adding that information about the proposed laws is largely emerging through media reports based on sources.
While reiterating its support for reservation for women in legislatures, the group opposed “the secretive, non-democratic manner” of introducing such measures, stressing that reforms of such magnitude require a transparent debate, public scrutiny and inclusion of diverse voices.
Parliament is set to meet from April 16 to 18 to consider bills to ensure the implementation of the 33-per cent quota for women in legislative bodies for the 2029 elections. It includes increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 to 816 seats, with 273 seats reserved for women, and amendments to the Delimitation Act to enable a redrawing of constituencies. PTI MHS RC
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