Supreme Court strict on non-implementation of 33% women’s reservation in Nagaland body elections, told Center- giving last chance

New Delhi. The Supreme Court reprimanded the Center and the state government for not implementing 33% reservation for women in Nagaland’s local body elections. The court said very strictly that ‘the implementation of the central provision cannot be avoided by citing the special situation of Nagaland’.

In the Supreme Court, a bench of Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Arvind Kumar said, ‘The Central Government should also see that without affecting the personal laws of Nagaland and the special status given to the state, the system like the whole country can be implemented there too.’ Fixing the next hearing of the case on September 26, the court told the central government, ‘We are giving the last chance’.

In the last hearing, the Supreme Court had asked the Center to take its stand on whether Nagaland can abrogate the constitutional scheme of one-third reservation for women in municipalities and city councils.

Nagaland had canceled the civic elections
In fact, the Nagaland Assembly had passed a resolution to repeal the Municipal Act after pressure from tribal and social organizations and resolved not to hold civic elections.

Local Naga tribal groups say the 33% reservation for women is in violation of Article 371(A) of the Constitution, which grants special status to Nagaland and its tribal culture cannot be tampered with.

Significantly, in all other states of the country, under Article 243 (T) of the Constitution of India, women have 33 percent reservation in civic elections, but the law to provide 33 percent reservation to women has not yet been implemented in Nagaland.

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Tag: nagaland, supreme court