Centre Not Willing To Implement Constitution”: Supreme Court On Quota For Women In Nagaland

New Delhi: 

The central government is not willing to implement the Constitution, the Supreme Court remarked today as it slammed both the Centre and the Nagaland government over non-implementation of the constitutional scheme of one-third reservation for women in civic body elections in the northeastern state.

Observing that Nagaland is a state where women actively participate in every aspect of life, a bench of Justices S K Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia said the Centre cannot preclude reservation from being extended to women in civic bodies by saying it doesn’t apply to tribal areas.

“Why is it not being implemented? What are you doing? Politically also you are on the same page. It is your government. You cannot get away by saying that there is some other in the State,” the court said.

The central government is not willing to implement the Constitution. At the slightest behest, you take action against the state governments. Where a constitutional provision is not being followed, you do not say anything to the state government. What active role have you played to see the constitutional scheme is implemented?” the bench told Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj, appearing for the Centre.

Nagaland has a coalition government led by the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and the BJP is a partner in the ruling dispensation.

At the outset, K N Balgopal, the Advocate General of Nagaland, submitted that the state government is keen to come up with a new law to satisfy the court, and sought time to seek instructions from the state government.