Rajasthan HC bans worship at sati temples
Rajan Mahan
Thursday, September 1, 2005 (Jaipur):
In a crucial order the Rajasthan High Court has banned service and
worship at five Sati temples in the state's Jhunjhunu district.
Earlier
the district court in Jhunjhunu had permitted worship at these temples
which women activists claim amounted to a glorification of the practice
of Sati.
The practice was banned after the infamous Roop Kanwar Sati case in Deorala village in 1987.
"In
the district and High Court both, we have argued from the state
government's side that open rituals and worship in these temples amount
to a glorification of Sati. The Court has accepted our plea and put a
ban on them," said B L Awasthi , Government Advocate.
Garb of worship
The
Court's order has thrilled women's groups in Rajasthan who have for
years been lobbying for a ban on the rituals of Sati in the state.
Nearly
two decades after the Parliament passed the Prevention of Sati
Glorification Act, thousands of people still flock to the hundreds of
Sati shrines in the state.
"We greatly welcome this decision
because we feel that in the garb of worship and service, these temples
are actually glorifying Sati," said Lad Kumari Jain, President, RUWA.
Legal battle
The Court has also issued notices to trustees and authorities of all five Sati temples who say they will challenge the order.
This has led to another round of a bitter legal battle on Sati, perhaps the most controversial social subject in Rajasthan.
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"Ours is a battle not for wealth or for power.
It is a battle for freedom. It is a battle for the reclamation of human personality."
- Dr BR Ambedkar
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