Women protesters stage demonstration outside Parliament for Women's Reservation Bill

Some women protesters today staged a demonstration outside Parliament here, demanding extension of the Parliament Session to pass the long pending Women's Reservation Bill.

The protesters shouted slogans and carried placards in favour of their demand. As they flouted section 144 which remains imposed in the high-security zone, they were detained by the police and taken to Parliament Street Police Station. However, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath had already said today that the Parliament Session, which concludes tomorrow, can be extended to pass crucial bills.

Incidentally, the Women's Reservation Bill was listed for being taken up in this session. The bill, introduced by the UPA-I government in May 2008 and passed by Rajya Sabha in March 2010, seeks to reserve one-third of all seats for women in the Lok Sabha and the state legislative assemblies.

Similar bills have been introduced thrice in the late 90's but have lapsed with the dissolution of respective Lok Sabha.