Women’s Bill passed in Rajyasabha

After two days of acrimonious and chaotic scenes, India’s upper house of parliament voted overwhelmingly [186 -1] to pass  the  historic Women’s bill that would reserve a third of legislative seats for women.

Seven members of the upper house, the Rajya Sabha, were suspended after staging a sit-in protest against the proposed law.The bill to reserve one-third of legislative seats for women in national and state parliaments has faced strong opposition since it was first proposed in 1996.

The bill is expected to be taken up in the powerful lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha, next week. It will also have to be approved by 15 of India’s 28 states before it becomes law.

WNN