What is the rule of sati?
Abetment of sati. – (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860) , if any person commits sati, whoever abets the commission of such sati, either directly or indirectly, shall be punishable with death or imprisonment for life and shall also be liable to fine.
How is sati done?
Sati, also spelled as Suttee, is a practice among Hindu communities where a recently widowed woman, either voluntarily or by force, immolates herself on her deceased husband’s pyre. The woman who immolates herself is, hence, called a Sati which is also interpreted as a ‘chaste woman’ or a ‘good and devoted wife’.
Which culture practiced sati?
The ancient Hindu tradition called sati, wherein a widow would throw herself on her husband’s pyre and burn to death, was initially a voluntary act considered courageous and heroic, but it later became a forced practice. Although sati is now banned all over India, it has a dark history. Culture Trip reports.
Is sati a valid custom?
Today, India’s Prevention of Sati Act (1987) makes it illegal to coerce or encourage anyone to commit sati. Forcing someone to commit sati can be punished by death.
What is sati in family law?
Indian Legal System > Civil Laws > Family Laws > The Commission of Sati (Prevention) Act, 1987. The term sati means the Hindu practice of widow burning or the burning of the living widow with the corpse of her husband.
What happens to a Hindu widow?
According to Hindu tradition, a widow cannot remarry. She has to hide in the house, remove her jewellery and wear the colour of mourning. She becomes a source of shame for her family, loses the right to participate in religious life and becomes socially isolated.
Was sati a tradition?
According to Reza Pirbhai, the memoirs of Jahangir suggest sati continued in his regime, was practised by Hindus and Muslims, he was fascinated by the custom, and that those Kashmiri Muslim widows who practised sati either immolated themselves or buried themselves alive with their dead husbands.
Do widows remarry in India?
The Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act 1856, also Act XV, 1856, passed on 16 July 1856, legalised the remarriage of widows in all jurisdictions of India under East India Company rule. The act was enacted on 26 July 1856.
Who abolished the custom of sati?
General Lord William Bentinck
The Bengal Sati Regulation which banned the Sati practice in all jurisdictions of British India was passed on December 4, 1829 by the then Governor-General Lord William Bentinck.
Who put an end to the practice of sati?
Lord William Bentinck became the Governor-General of India in 1828. He helped Raja Rammohan Roy to suppress many prevalent social evils like Sati, polygamy, child marriage and female infanticide. Lord Bentinck passed the law banning Sati throughout the Company’s jurisdiction in British India.