“Women as a class neither belong to a minority group nor are they regarded as forming a backward class.”…

Question

“Women as a class neither belong to a minority group nor are they regarded as forming a backward class.” In the light of this statement, discuss the evolution of women’s reservation from local bodies to Parliament.

Ghissu Editorial · Accepted Answer

Because women are neither a minority nor a backward class, their reservation rests on Article 15(3) and express amendments, reaching panchayats in 1993 and Parliament in 2023. The 106th Amendment reserves one-third of legislative seats, but only after census and delimitation.

**Introduction**

Women are nearly half the population, so they are not a minority, nor a "backward class" under Articles 15(4) and 16(4). Their political quota rests instead on Article 15(3) and express amendments, which arrived for panchayats in 1993 but for Parliament only three decades later.

**From Panchayats to Municipalities**

SKETCH: timeline | Women's Reservation in India
- 1974 :: Towards Equality report
- 1988 :: Perspective Plan: 30%
- 1993 :: 73rd, 74th Amendments
- 2006 :: Bihar: 50% panchayats
- 2010 :: Rajya Sabha passes Bill
- 2023 :: 106th Amendment

1. **Early hesitation**: The Towards Equality report (1974) rejected legislative quotas, but the National Perspective Plan (1988) sought 30% in local bodies, and Karnataka reserved 25% of Mandal Panchayat seats in 1983.
2. **Constitutional mandate**: The 73rd and 74th Amendments reserved one-third of seats and chairpersons' posts under Articles 243D and 243T; K. Krishna Murthy (2010) treated this as distinct from Articles 15(4) and 16(4).
3. **Deepening at the base**: Bihar's 50% quota (2006), copied by over 20 states, means women hold about half (49.75%) of panchayat seats.

**The Long Road to Parliament**

1. **Failed attempts**: The 81st Amendment Bill (1996) lapsed, and the 108th passed the Rajya Sabha in 2010 but died in 2014.
2. **106th Amendment, 2023**: Articles 330A and 332A reserve one-third of Lok Sabha and assembly seats, including within SC and ST seats, for 15 years.
3. **Conditional rollout**: The quota awaits census and delimitation, a 2026 amendment bill fell in the Lok Sabha, and there is no OBC sub-quota.

**Conclusion**

Women's political inclusion rests on Article 15(3) and express constitutional text, not on minority or backward status. Once delimitation ends the delay, reserved seats can turn formal equality into substantive representation under SDG 5.5.

“Women as a class neither belong to a minority group nor are they regarded as forming a backward class.” In the light of this statement, discuss the evolution of women’s reservation from local bodies to Parliament.

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