NEW DELHI: Opposition members in the Lok Sabha questioned on Friday govt’s decision to move a bill to amend the 2023 women’s quota law before bringing the principal Act into force and sought a clarification from law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal over the procedural lapse.Congress MP K C Venugopal pointed out the law ministry’s notification issued late last night to bring into force the 2023 law with effect from April 16, much after a bill to amend the Act was introduced and discussed in the House.
“We are witnessing an extraordinary constitutional anomaly… Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, passed in Sept 2023, has come into force with being published in the Gazette only at 9.55pm last night,” he posted on X. He said, “It is shocking that govt brought amendments to a constitutional provision that was not even published in the Gazette! This shows govt’s unprepared and lackadaisical approach to serious lawmaking.”Though the 2023 Constitution amendment bill became a law, it did not become part of the Constitution as the govt did not bring it into force by notifying a date for its coming into force.DMK’s Kanimozhi too flagged the issue during the debate. She hit back at PM Modi for his ‘kala teeka’ swipe at her party’s protest over the women’s quota law amendment, saying black is the colour of goddess Kali and Tamil Nadu’s governing party will protest over the issue till the end.
