Centre notifies women’s reservation law for J&K and Union Territories
33 per cent quota for women in J&K Assembly and UT legislatures comes into force
- MHA issues notification bringing women’s reservation provisions into effect from April 17
New Delhi, Apr 17: The Centre on Friday notified the implementation of the Women’s Reservation Act, 2023, extending the 33 per cent quota for women to the legislatures of Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territories, in a move seen as a significant step towards enhancing women’s political representation.
In a notification relating to Jammu and Kashmir, the Ministry of Home Affairs said that April 17, 2026, has been appointed as the date from which the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Second Amendment) Act, 2023, will come into force. A separate notification was also issued for Union Territories under the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Act, 2023, bringing the corresponding provisions into effect from the same date.
The development comes against the backdrop of the Women’s Reservation Act, popularly known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, which was passed by Parliament in September 2023 to provide one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. The law also provides for reservation within this quota for women belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
The latest notification is significant for Jammu and Kashmir because the Union Territory’s legislative framework required a separate statutory route to extend similar reservation provisions to its Assembly. The same applies to Union Territories governed through specific parliamentary enactments rather than the constitutional provisions that apply directly to states.
The notification has been issued at a time when Parliament is also debating fresh amendments linked to the implementation of women’s reservation. Recent reports indicate that the broader political discussion is focused on advancing the operational timeline of the quota framework, which under the original 2023 law was linked to a future Census and delimitation exercise.
With this step, the Centre has formally activated the legal framework for women’s reservation in Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territories, giving fresh momentum to a major political reform aimed at widening women’s participation in legislative bodies.
