Article 7: CONSTITUTION: States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to: 1. A. 14: Equality before Law.(Supra: Chapter 1) 2. A. 15: No Discrimination. (Supra: Chapter 1) • Eliminate discrimination against women in the political and public life of the country; • Ensure to women, on equal terms with men, the right to: a. Vote in all elections and public referenda and to be eligible for election to all publicly elected bodies; b. Participate in the formulation and implementation thereof of government policy and to hold public office and perform all public functions; c. 35 Participate in 3. A. 16: Equality of Opportunity in Public Employment.(Supra: Chapter 1) 4. A. 19: Guarantees to all citizens freedom of speech and expression; assemble peacefully; to form association; move freely; reside in any part of the country; to practice any profession.2 5. A. 40: State to take steps to organise village panchayats3 and endow them with such powers and authority to enable them to function as units of self-government.4 6. A. 243D5: Reservation of seats- (1): In direct elections of Panchayat, seats to be reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) in proportion to their population in that Panchayat. (2): Out of these reserved seats, one-third shall be reserved for women belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. (3): In direct elections of Panchayat, not less than one-third of the total number of seats shall be reserved for women. (4): The office of the Chairperson in the Panchayat at the village or any other level to be reserved for the SC, the ST and women. 7. A. 243T6: Reservation of seats- (1): In direct elections of every Municipality, seats to be reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) in proportion to G1 (and R1): Poor representation of women the upper echelons of law-making, i.e., parliament and state legislative assembles. (Supra: Chapter 1) [CEDAW A. 7(b)] G2: Ineligibility and consequent disqualification of women to contest elections on the grounds of lack of educational qualification deprives women for no fault of theirs. [CEDAW A. 7(a) and A. 7(b)] (Ref: Rajbala V/s State of Haryana)11 R2: As per 2020, only around 66% of women are literate in India as compared to 82% of men.12 Considering the grass-root realities regarding the literacy of women, especially adult women, legislatures, need to be more sensitive in imposing disqualifying criteria on women to contest election for lack of educational qualification till particular level of literacy of women is achieved . G3: Studies show that about 43%