Women's groups ask Rajasthan govt to appeal against acquittals in sati glorification cases

Counterview Desk

A coalition of women's organizations* in Rajasthan has issued a joint statement demanding that the state government file an appeal against the recent acquittal of accused in the Glorification of Sati cases of 1987. The organizations, which have been working on the Sati (Bride Burning) case since the tragic death of Roop Kanwar, expressed their disappointment and concern over the judiciary's decision.

The statement called upon Chief Minister Bhajan Lal to ensure that an appeal is filed against the recent acquittals and to take all necessary measures to uphold justice. The organizations also urged the government to stop all efforts to promote the practice of Sati.

Text:

We women's organizations who form a section of the women's movement in the state and who have worked on the Sati (Bride Burning) case since the 4th September 1987, when 19-year-old Roop Kanwar was forced onto the pyre of her husband, are not surprised that acquittal has come in yet another set of Glorification cases, filed in the aftermath of the Rajasthan Ordinance against Sati, 1987 and the Central Law called the Commission of Sati Prevention Act, 1987. We are very clear that delay in decisions by the judiciary as well as acquittal only reinforce a culture of Sati Glorification.

It should be known that more than 17 people (we have the cases) were acquitted on 31st January 2004, including those cases which involved erstwhile Health Minister Rajendra Singh Rathore, erstwhile Food and Transport Minister Pratap Singh Kachariywaas, senior leaders of the Sati Dharma Raksha Samiti and Rajput Sabha Bhawan Jaipur. The GOR law Department took a decision not to go in appeal, and the women's organizations went from pillar to post trying to have the acquittal challenged, as the trial was slipshod and neither the police, the prosecution, nor the Sati special court judge in Jaipur seemed to have done a fair job. It was a clear case for appeal. The CM, Ms. Vasundhara Raje, refused to budge from her position that this matter did not require any further legal pursuit.

With no other option but to go to court ourselves, 14 organizations and individuals* moved the Rajasthan High Court in a civil writ petition, praying that the HC order an appeal against the 17 accused in the four cases of glorification. Our writs too have been pending for the last 20 years.

Both parties, BJP and Congress, did not wish to antagonize the Rajput vote bank as leaders of both sides were implicated in the case

Successive Rajasthan governments, including the one led by Shri. Ashok Gehlot, also did not change their position, which is obvious as both parties did not wish to antagonize the Rajput vote bank and leaders of both sides were implicated in the case.

Since we cannot issue a press statement on the merits, as the judgment is not in our hands as yet, we continue to have only one demand:

That the present GOR, led by Sh. Bhajan Lal Sharma, should ask their law officers to file an appeal in these cases. The Public Prosecutor of the special court has already made public statements. These cases should go in appeal within the stipulated 90-day period of filing an appeal to the appellate court.
Pursue legal remedies in the 2004 cases, so that all those surviving of the four cases are punished by law.
Do not allow the promotion of the culture of Sati in the state, despite all efforts to break the law.

A second statement will be issued by us after we analyze the judgment and present the merits of appeal in the case.

---

* People's Union for Civil Liberties (Kavita Srivastava)

* All India Democratic Women's Association, Rajasthan (Sumitra Chopra)

* National Federation of Indian Women, Rajasthan (Nisha Sidhu)

* Vividha, women's documentation and Resource Centre (Mamta Jaitly)

* Rajasthan University Women's Association (Dr. Lad Kumari Jain)

* All India Progressive Women's Association (Manjula Sharma)

* Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti, Rajasthan (Komal Srivastava)

* National Muslim women's welfare society, Jaipur (Nishat Hussain)

* Mehnatkash Sewa evam Sandharbh Samiti, Rajasthan (Mewa Bharti)

* Academy for Socio Legal Studies (Dharmeshwari)

* Women's Rehabilitation Group (Renuka Pamecha)

* Women's cell, Rajasthan Karmachari Sangh (Asha Kalra)

* Vishakha, Mahila Shiksha evam Shodh Sansthan. (Shabnam)

* Dr. Pawan Surana, former Chairperson state women's commission

Comments

When democracy becomes a performance: The Tibetan exile experience

By Tseten Lhundup* I was born in Bylakuppe, one of the largest Tibetan settlements in southern India. From childhood, I grew up in simple barracks, along muddy roads, and in fields with limited resources. Over the years, I have watched our democratic system slowly erode. Observing the recent budget session of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, these “democratic procedures” appear grand and orderly on the surface, yet in reality they amount to little more than empty formalities. The parliamentarians seem largely disconnected from the everyday struggles faced by ordinary exiled Tibetans like us.

Study links sanctions to 500,000 deaths annually leading to rise in global backlash

By Bharat Dogra International opinion is increasingly turning against the expanding burden of sanctions imposed on a growing number of countries. These measures are contributing to humanitarian crises, intensifying domestic discord, and heightening international tensions, thereby increasing the risks of conflicts and wars.

Dhurandhar: The Revenge — Blurring the line between fiction and political narrative

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan* "Dhurandhar: The Revenge" does not wait to be remembered; it arrives almost on the heels of its predecessor, released on March 19, 2026, just months after the first film’s December 2025 debut. The speed of its arrival feels less like creative urgency and more like calculated timing—cinema responding not to storytelling rhythm but to the emotional climate of its audience. Director Aditya Dhar, along with actor Yami Gautam, appears acutely aware of this moment and how to harness it.

Beyond the island: Top mythologist reorients the geography of the Ramayana

By Jag Jivan In a compelling new analysis that challenges conventional geographical assumptions about the ancient epic, writer and mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik has traced the roots of the Ramayana to the forests and river systems of Central and Eastern India, rather than the peninsular south or the modern island nation of Sri Lanka.

BJP accounts for 99% of political donations in Gujarat: Corporate giants dominate

By Jag Jivan An analysis of the official data on donations received by national parties from Gujarat during the Financial Year 2024-25 reveals a staggering concentration of funding, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accounting for nearly the entirety of the contributions. The data, compiled in a document titled "National Parties donations received from Gujarat during FY-2024-25," lists thousands of transactions, painting a detailed picture of the financial backing for political parties from one of India’s most industrially significant states.

Alarming decline in India's repair culture threatens circular economy goals: Study

By Jag Jivan A comprehensive new study by environmental research and advocacy organisation Toxics Link has painted a worrying picture of India's fading repair culture, warning that the trend towards replacement over repair is accelerating the country's already critical e-waste crisis.

Captains extraordinaire: Ranking cricket’s most influential skippers

By Harsh Thakor* Ranking the greatest cricket captains is a subjective exercise, often sparking passionate debate among fans. The following list is not merely a tally of wins and losses; it is an assessment of leadership’s deeper impact. My criteria fuse a captain’s playing record with their tactical skill, placing the highest consideration on their ability to reshape a team’s fortunes and inspire those around them. A captain who inherited a dominant empire is judged differently from one who resurrected a nation’s cricket from the doldrums. With that in mind, here is my perspective on the finest leaders the game has ever seen.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

‘No merit’ in Chakraborty’s claims: Personal ethics talk sans details raises questions

By Jag Jivan A recent opinion piece published in The Quint by Subhash Chandra Garg has raised questions over the circumstances surrounding the resignation of Atanu Chakraborty from HDFC Bank , with Garg stating that the exit “raises doubts about his own ‘ethics’.” Garg, currently Chief Policy Advisor at Subhanjali and former Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India, writes that the Reserve Bank of India ( RBI ) appears to find no substance in Chakraborty’s claims, noting, “It is clear the RBI sees no merit in Atanu Chakraborty’s wild and vague assertions.”

Search This Blog