Jaipur- On October 9, thirty seven years after the highly publicized Roop Kanwar Sati incident, a court in Jaipur delivered its verdict. In what is considered India's last and most controversial Sati case, the Sati Prevention Special Court in Jaipur Metropolitan II acquitted all eight accused: Shravan Singh, Mahendra Singh, Nihal Singh, Jitendra Singh, Uday Singh, Narayan Singh, Bhanwar Singh, and Dashrath Singh.

Roop Kanwar, an 18-year-old from Jaipur, was married to 24-year-old Mal Singh Shekhawat of Deorala. Just seven months into their marriage, Mal Singh fell seriously ill and died during treatment. Following his death, it was claimed that Roop Kanwar expressed a desire to commit Sati, a practice where a widow immolates herself on her husband’s funeral pyre. However, police investigations later revealed that this claim was untrue. On September 4, 1987, Roop Kanwar was forced into the act of Sati.

In the aftermath, locals deified her as "Sati Maa" and built a temple in her memory, organizing an annual "Chunri Mahotsav" in her honor. The glorification of the incident prompted the then-Chief Minister, Haridev Joshi, to file cases against 39 people involved in promoting the act.

The Infamous Incident That Shamed India

Since India's independence, 29 Sati cases have been recorded in Rajasthan, with Roop Kanwar’s being the last. The horrific event attracted global attention, bringing widespread shame to the country. This case became a symbol of the dark legacy of Sati, sparking outrage and leading to significant social and legal reforms.

After decades of legal proceedings, the verdict finally came 37 years later, marking the end of one of the most infamous cases of Sati in India.

This entire case is also known as the Deorala Sati Roop Kanwar incident. Deorala is a village near Sikar district in Rajasthan, about three hours from Jaipur. Roop Kanwar's father-in-law, Sumer Singh, was a teacher there, and her husband, Mal Singh, was pursuing a B.Sc. degree. Roop's father was a truck driver in Jaipur's Transport Nagar. At the time of the incident, Roop Kanwar was at her parental home, while her husband had fallen gravely ill.

Upon receiving the news, Roop, along with her father and brother, rushed him to a hospital in Sikar. After taking him to the hospital, her father and brother returned, but two days later, Mal Singh passed away. The family took his body back to Deorala. It was then that rumors spread that Roop Kanwar wished to commit Sati. She was glorified for this act, and after performing traditional rituals with a coconut in her hands and full bridal adornment, she was forced onto her husband's funeral pyre.

A total of 45 people were charged in the Roop Kanwar Sati case, including her in-laws and the politicians who attended the procession on September 22, 1988. This includes Roop’s father-in-law Sumer Singh, and three other relatives on charges of murder and a abetting suicide.