The widow ascending to heaven as the ultimate sacrifice and proof of a woman’s devotion to her husband.
They were doomed to lead an austere life, devoid of adornment and economic, familial, and romantic deprivation.
Shaving their head, shedding jewelry, wearing plain white or dark clothing, and eating a single meal.
Due to widows becoming a liability after their husband's death and the fear that they might claim family property.
The immolation of a Hindu woman on the death of her husband in his funeral pyre.
The State Government.
The unacceptable rise in Sati in the province of Bengal.
By appointing Pandits in civil and criminal courts to decode religious scriptures and answer specific questions regarding the practice.
All the powers of a Court of Session.
Permission had to be sought.
The power to direct the removal of temples or other structures where any form of worship or the performance of any ceremony is carried on with a view to perpetuate the honour of, or to preserve the memory of, any person in respect of whom sati has been committed.
Penalty.
The police officers will institute a full inquiry into the circumstances of the case and report them for the information and orders of the Magistrate or Joint Magistrate.
The defense that the abettors were expecting a miracle and did not anticipate the pyre to be ignited by human agency.
Maharaja Kharak Singh, Ranjit Singh's grandson, Naunihal Singh, and Maharaja Sher Singh continued the practice.
Articles 25, 26, 174, 213, and 51 A.
Punjab, Orissa, and Bengal.
The Act has the power to make rules.
To provide for the more effective prevention of the commission of sati and its glorification.
To distinguish between legal Sati (widow consented) and illegal Sati (widow coerced).
To declare it void.
Vrindavan, a town in the northern part of India.
The Manusmriti did not mention Sati anywhere.
An influential section of Hindus.
It is derived from the name of the goddess Sati, who immolated herself because she was unable to bear her father Daksha's humiliation towards her husband Shiva.
It declared Sati illegal and punishable by the criminal courts.
Under Lord William Bentinck after 1829.
Sir Charles Napier, Governor of the new province.
The person shall be punishable with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years and shall also be liable to a fine.
Use all lawful means in their power to prevent the sacrifice from taking place, and apprehend the principal persons aiding and abetting in the performance of it.
8,134 cases, mainly among (but not limited to) upper caste Hindus.
The burning or burying alive of a widow along with the body of her deceased husband or any other relative or with any article, object or thing associated with the husband or such relative, or any woman along with the body of any of her relatives, irrespective of whether such burning or burying is claimed to be voluntary or not.
The practice of burning or burying alive the widows of Hindus.
As a barbaric practice.
In 1829.
If the offence is connected with the other offence.
They fell back on the 'custom' argument, comparing it to events like Durga Puja which were also not mentioned in the text.
Akbar (1556 - 1606).
On 4 December after Lord William Bentinck assumed the governorship of Bengal.
Declared it just, valid, logical, and conforming to law.
Hindu idol worship.
The burden of proving that he had not committed the offence under the said section shall be on him.
The statement showing the number of suttees at Banares from 1820 to 1829.
Widow burning.
From the 10th century AD.
He believed that the law by itself did not and could not accomplish social change.
The practice of Sati was almost completely stamped out.
It may be punishable with imprisonment for a term of not less than one year but which may extend to seven years, and with a fine of not less than five thousand rupees but which may extend to thirty thousand rupees.
They know not what is allowed and what is interdicted.
They have a persuasion that the Government is rather favorable to sati than otherwise.
Prohibit it in toto by an absolute and peremptory law.
To delay the woman's decision for as long as possible.
Persian, Arabic, Sanskrit, and read the Quran, the works of Sufi mystic poets, the Arabic translation of the works of Plato and Aristotle, Vedas, and Upnishads.
'Stridharma' signifies a woman's duty, responsibility, or moral responsibility, which entails devotion to her husband.
Rig Veda Mantras, Atharva Veda, and various scriptures.
They will be disqualified from inheriting certain properties.
Death or imprisonment for life and also liable to fine.
Because it involves the burning or burying alive of widows or women.
Being a Sessions Judge or an Additional Sessions Judge in any State.
The sati was irregular as the police officer was not present, and the widow burnt without the corpse of her husband.
William Carey.
Complete noninterference with their religion.
There was a conspiracy of silence and the firing of the pyre was attributed to supernatural agency.
A practice common in India where a widow immolates herself on her husband's funeral pyre.
Humayun (1530 - 1540).
The power to seize funds or property collected or acquired for the purpose of glorification of the commission of any sati, or which may be found under circumstances creating suspicion of the commission of any offence under the Act.
He condemned the practice of burning women on their spouses' pyre and defined true Satis differently.
By the end of the 18th century.
The challenge to the Rajasthan Sati (Prevention) Ordinance, 1987.
Orthodox Bengali Brahmins formed themselves into the Dharma Sabha (Religion Council).
They made efforts to stop, ban, and punish those who abet and propagate the glorification of Sati.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy.
K. Pachauri's 'Notes and Comments: Sati Problem: Past and Present', 45 JILI (2003) 253.
He witnessed the live immolation of his own sister-in-law.
The power to prohibit certain acts related to sati, such as prohibiting the commission of sati or any abetment thereof, and prohibiting the glorification of sati.
Because there was no way to tell if the widow had consented or was forced to consent.
They are responsible for the immediate communication of the police of the intended sacrifice.
Because women have no power or status in such a society.
Assisting in making the widow's toilet, holding up the screen, taking her ornaments, supervising the cutting of her nails, and preparing the pyre.
He argued that Hindu scriptures did not condone or encourage Sati, and his views resonated with the British argument that widows were coerced into the pyre for material gains.
Zamindars (landlords), petty land owners, local agents, and officers in charge of revenue collection.
East India Company as the personal diwan first of Woodforde and then of Digby.
‘Raja’.
The rule of law.
Inducement to a widow or woman to get her burnt or buried alive, making her believe in spiritual benefit, encouraging her to remain fixed in her resolve, participating in any procession, being present at the place of commission, preventing or obstructing the widow or woman, obstructing or interfering with the police.
The appeal was dismissed.
Abetment of suicide under section 306 of the Penal Code, 1860.
They targeted the men, arguing that they were barbaric.
It threw the ideas of the Hindus on the subject into a complete state of confusion.
It should be compatible with the paramount claims of humanity and justice.
Lord William Bentinck.
Because the measures hitherto adopted to discourage and prevent such acts have failed of success.
The principle that all classes of the people be secure in the observance of their religious usages.
Vedic philosophies, particularly the Vedanta from the ancient Hindu texts of Upanishads.
They were held guilty of aiding the widow in committing Sati and were charged with an offence under Section 306 of the Penal Code.
He issued a proclamation declaring the practice to be stopped forthwith and asked the rulers to enforce the law as established by the British Government.
To devote his life to religious, social, and political reforms.
The glorification of Sati.
Robert Hamilton.
A fine not exceeding two hundred rupees, and in default of payment, confinement for a period of imprisonment not exceeding six months.
Endeavor to ascertain their names and places of abode, and immediately communicate the whole of the particulars to the Magistrate or Joint Magistrate for his orders.
He used them to promote social change and facilitate the implementation of laws.
To take more effective measures to prevent the commission of sati and its glorification.
Christian missionaries like William Carey and Hindu Brahmins like Ram Mohan Roy.
No, it is nowhere enjoined by the religion of the Hindus as an imperative duty.
Every detail of the act from start to finish, including the widow's body language and behavior of those around her.
He expected it to be universally acknowledged as the best act performed by the British government.
It is considered ridiculous.
It was rare due to the Dogra influence, although Sikh chiefs practiced it.
The Sanskrit word for 'husband' is 'Swaami', which literally means 'Lord and Master'. It signifies that a woman's husband is essentially her 'lord'.
The ultimate expression of complete marital devotion was expressed in Sati.
The Act includes the repeal of existing laws.
Section 2.
Lord William Bentick abolished Sati by the 11th Regulation of 1829.
No, it is nowhere enjoined by any of the religions of India as an imperative duty.
The State Government.
It includes the observance of any ceremony or the taking out of a procession in connection with the commission of sati, the supporting, justifying or propagating the practice of sati in any manner, the arranging of any function to eulogise the person who has committed sati, and the creation of a trust, or the collection of funds, or the construction of a temple or other structure or the carrying on of any form of worship or the performance of any ceremony thereat, with a view to perpetuate the honour of, or to preserve the memory of, a person who has committed sati.
Newspapers and journals.
A life of purity and retirement.
It has significantly improved and is not as bad as it was in the 19th century.
Inducing a woman to return to the funeral pyre, preparing the pyre, supplying ghee, and actively conniving with the person committing Sati.
In Radhanagar, in Hoogly district of Bengal (now West Bengal).
They will institute a full inquiry into the circumstances of the case and report them for the information and orders of the Magistrate or Joint Magistrate.
They were against the abolition of Sati because it was a part of their customs. They argued that Sati was a practice that would give the husband and his wife immediate spiritual bliss.
A fine of Rs.200 or 6 months in jail for default.
The ideal wife's sole joy in life is to satisfy her husband, and her only concern is to perform properly any of the services demanded by her husband.
The Act has overriding effect.
Some resorted to begging, prostitution, and chanting hymns for minimal sustenance.
The Indian Sati Prevention Act, 1988.
No mention of the custom in any Hindu scripture, nor any reverence for it.
To obtain the widow's share of property on the death of her husband.
Three.
The trial of persons concerned in the sacrifice and the sentence of death by the Court of Nizamat Adalat.
No suit, prosecution, or other legal proceeding shall lie against the State Government or any officer or authority of the State Government for anything done or intended to be done in pursuance of this Act or any rules or orders made under this Act.
All officers of Government are required and empowered to assist the police in the execution of the provisions of this Act or any rule or order made thereunder. Village officers and other specified officers, along with the inhabitants of the area, are required to report to the nearest police station if they have reason to believe or have knowledge that sati is about to be, or has been, committed in the area.
Clause 19, providing for the continuance of ceremonies in the temples in connection with the Sati constructed prior to the commencement of the Act.
Although many widows are treated less harshly today, they still face discrimination and neglect. In some corners of India, the act of murdering widows is a tradition.
The practice of Sati, or burning or burying alive the widows of Hindus.
Burning or burying alive the widows of Hindus.
Bengal Presidency.
Imprisonment for a term not less than one year but which may extend to seven years, and a fine not less than five thousand rupees but which may extend to thirty thousand rupees.
1830.
It is declared illegal and punishable by the Criminal Courts.
Zamindars, talukdars, proprietors of land, sadar farmers, under renters, dependent talukdars, naibs, local agents, officers employed in revenue collection, mandals, and headmen of villages.
To appear in person to the spot or depute his muharrir or jamadar, accompanied by one or more barkandazes, and announce to the persons assembled for the performance of the ceremony that it is illegal.
Imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.
