Women's reservation law: SC refuses to entertain plea by advocate
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea filed by an advocate seeking urgent and time-bound implementation of the women's reservation law to ensure 33 per cent quota for them in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, however, granted liberty to the advocate Yogamaya MG to file an intervention petition in a pending PIL filed by Congress leader Jaya Thakur.
"Look, we don't want multiplicity of litigation in the matter. You file an intervention application in the petition filed by Jaya Thakur," the bench said.
Counsel appearing for Yogamaya requested the court to allow the petitioner to withdraw the petition.
The bench agreed to the submission and allowed it to be withdrawn.
The plea by Thakur is likely to be listed on January 16.
The petition filed by Yogamaya contended there is an urgent need for timely implementation of the new law in the upcoming general elections because, without expeditious action, its intended benefits for women in the political arena will be lost.
"The Women's Reservation Act, 2023 was passed with uncertainty in its implementation. That the petitioner seeks the intervention of this court to ensure that the Constitutional mandate of fair representation for women is expeditiously realised," it said.
Officially known as Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, the law provides for reservation of one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and all state assemblies for women.
The law will, however, not be implemented immediately. It will come into force after a new census has been conducted based on which delimitation will be undertaken to reserve seats for women.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
