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Supreme court stays Rajasthan HC ban on Santhara

by IBNS 31 Aug 2015, 09:20 am

New Delhi, Aug 31 (IBNS) The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the Rajasthan High Court order which delared as illegal the Jain community's religious ritual Santhara (fast unto death).

The High court had  made Santhara a punishable offence under section 306 and 309 IPC (abatement of suicide). 

A Public Interest Litigation(PIL) challenging the legality of 'Santhara' was filed in the high court in 2006.

The petitioner's lawyer had said this practice of giving up food and water for death  is in violation of the Right to Life and it can not be allowed if the  practice of Sati is banned and suicide is illegal under the law.

The lawyers representing the Jain community argued that 'Santhara' is a spiritual practice since times immemorial which the court must not interfere with.