Women-Led Orgs Express Disappointment Over Acquittals in Rajasthan's Sati Glorification Cases

Jaipur- In a powerful joint statement, several women's organizations, long associated with the fight against Sati glorification, have expressed deep disappointment over the recent acquittals in cases connected to the infamous 1987 Roop Kanwar Sati incident.

The organizations have called on the Rajasthan government, under Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, to immediately file an appeal against the acquittals and ensure that justice prevails.

The 1987 case, where 19-year-old Roop Kanwar was forced onto her husband's pyre and burned alive, shocked the nation and led to the enactment of the Rajasthan Ordinance against Sati and the subsequent Commission of Sati Prevention Act, 1987.

Despite these legal frameworks, justice for those involved in glorifying this tragic event has been delayed or denied. Most recently, the acquittal of 8 individuals, has drawn widespread condemnation from women’s rights groups.

" It should be known that more than 17 people (we have the cases) were acquitted on 31st January 2004, including those cases which had erstwhile Health Minister Rajendra Singh Rathore, erstwhile Food and Transport Minster Pratap Singh Kachariywaas, senior leaders of the Sati Dharma Raksha Samiti and Rajput Sabha Bhawan Jaipur. The GOR law Department took a decision to not go in Appeal, the women's organisations went pillar to post trying to see that the acquittal be challenged, as the trial was most slip shod and neither the Police, the prosecution or the Sati special court Judge in Jaipur, seemed to have done a fair job," the statement read.

The organizations behind the joint statement, including the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), Vividha Women’s Documentation and Resource Centre, and others, have been fighting for decades to ensure that those responsible for promoting and glorifying the practice of Sati are held accountable. Kavita Srivastava of PUCL, Sumitra Chopra of AIDWA, and Nisha Sidhu of NFIW, alongside other signatories, stressed that the recent acquittals further reinforce a culture that seeks to justify or celebrate such barbaric practices.

The statement emphasized that successive governments, including the one led by former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, refused to challenge these acquittals despite the trial being riddled with flaws.

The women’s organizations had moved from pillar to post, urging the Rajasthan government to appeal the acquittal, but their pleas went unheard.

In 2004, when the acquittals were announced, women’s groups had no choice but to file a civil writ petition in the Rajasthan High Court, praying for an appeal to be filed against the 17 accused in four cases of glorification. Despite the passage of 20 years, the petition remains pending, and no action has been taken to challenge the court's decision. Activists like Mamta Jaitly from Vividha and Dr. Lad Kumari Jain from the Rajasthan University Women’s Association have criticized the judiciary's delay, noting that the failure to appeal is an abdication of responsibility by the state.

In their joint statement, the women’s groups issued a strong demand: the present government should immediately file an appeal within the stipulated 90-day period, as recommended by the Public Prosecutor of the special court. They also called for legal remedies to be pursued in the 2004 cases, ensuring that all surviving accused are punished by law.

The statement also highlighted the need for proactive measures to prevent any further glorification of Sati in Rajasthan. Despite laws banning the practice, efforts to promote it continue, posing a serious threat to women's rights and equality. Komal Srivastava of the Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti and Nishat Hussain of the National Muslim Women’s Welfare Society, Jaipur, emphasized that the glorification of Sati is a direct attack on women’s dignity and should be unequivocally condemned.

The other signatories to this statement included Mewa Bharti of the Mehnatkash Sewa Evam Sandharbh Samiti, Dharmeshwari of the Academy for Socio-Legal Studies, Renuka Pamecha of the Women’s Rehabilitation Group, Asha Kalra from the Women’s Cell of the Rajasthan Karmachari Sangh, Shabnam from Vishakha Mahila Shiksha Evam Shodh Sansthan, and Dr. Pawan Surana, the former Chairperson of the State Women’s Commission.

The women’s organizations have pledged to continue their fight for justice, with plans to release a second statement once the judgment is fully analyzed. This upcoming statement will focus on the legal merits of the case and outline the grounds for appeal. The signatories made it clear that they would not rest until those responsible for glorifying Sati are brought to justice.