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

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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.

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* 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

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