Women's Reservation Bill to be placed before Cabinet

The bill, providing 33 per cent quota for women in elected bodies, will be placed before the Union Cabinet shortly, following which it would be reintroduced in Parliament.

Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily told reporters here on Tuesday that the cabinet note in this regard is being circulated now. The bill was first introduced in the Rajya Sabha in the last term of the UPA government. The bill was studied by the Parliamentary standing committee which made certain recommendations.

“We have incorporated these suggestions in the new bill and they are minor ones”, he said.

Moily said the mandatory notice period of 30 days for the registration of marriages would be reduced or done away with and the law ministry has forwarded its opinion to the home ministry in this regard.

Honour killing, widespread in Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh, would be dealt with seriously henceforth as they would be treated as murder, Moily said.  

Moily said efforts were under way to ensure that the judgements related to sexual assault on women or those relating to children and aged be delivered within six months or one year.

Permanent HC benches

The two circuit benches of the Karnataka High Court, situated in Dharwad and Gulbarga, will soon be upgraded as permanent benches of the High Court, Moily said.

He said that this long-time demand of the people of northern Karnataka has been acceded to by the Centre. In view of this, the law ministry has just sanctioned the required posts of judges for the two benches.

Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar welcomed the move calling it a victory for the advocates who had taken up the cause of setting up a full high court bench at Hubli-Dharwad.