Parliament passes bills to extend women's reservation to Puducherry, J&K assemblies

New Delhi: The Parliament on Monday passed two bills to extend provisions of the Women's Reservation Law to the legislative assemblies of Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir with the Rajya Sabha clearing them with a voice vote.

The Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Second Amendment) Bill were passed amid a din as opposition members demanding that Union Home Minister Amit Shah make a statement in the House on the December 13 Parliament security breach trooped into the well and raised slogans.

The bills were passed by the Lok Sabha on December 12.

The Rajya Sabha witnessed two adjournments in the morning session. As the House reassembled at 2 pm, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai tabled the two bills for consideration and passage.

He said the bills are in favour of women's rights.

Soon, opposition members were on their feet raising slogans in support of their demand.

Meanwhile, members of the Treasury benches and some other parties spoke in favour of the Bills, asserting that they seek to provide reservation to women in assemblies of Puducherry, and Jammu and Kashmir.

V Vijayasai Reddy (YSRCP), Kavita Patidar (BJP), M Thambidurai (AIADMK), S Phangnon Konyak (BJP), Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar (TDP), Rakesh Sinha (Nominated), Jaggesh (BJP) and Birendra Prasad Baishya (Asom Gana Parishad) were among the members who spoke in support of the bills.

Some members urged the central government to hold elections in Jammu and Kashmir at the earliest.

The Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill stipulates that nearly one-third of the total number of seats to be filled by direct election to the Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory of Puducherry (including the number of seats reserved for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes) shall be reserved for women in such manner as the Parliament may by law determine.

The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Second Amendment) Bill stipulates that seats shall be reserved for women in the legislative assembly of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

It states that as nearly as may be, "one-third of the seats reserved under Sub-Section (7) of Section 14 (of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019) shall be reserved for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes in the Legislative Assembly of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir".

These provisions shall be inserted in the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.