Repeal of existing laws . — (1) All laws in force in any State immediately before the commencement of this Ac… — AMENDING ACT

. Repeal of existing laws . — (1) All laws in force in any State immediately before the commencement of this Act in that State which provide for the prevention or the glorification of sati shall, on such commencement, stand repealed.

22 . Repeal of existing laws . — (1) All laws in force in any State immediately before the commencement of this Act in that State which provide for the prevention or the glorification of sati shall, on such commencement, stand repealed. (2) Notwithstanding such repeal, anything done or any action taken under any law repealed under sub -section (1) shall be deemed to have been done or taken under the corresponding provisions of this Act, and, in particular, any case taken cognizance of by a Special Court under the provisions of any law so repealed and pending before it immediately before the commencement of this Act in that State shall continue to be dealt with by that Special Court after such commencement as if such Special Court had been constituted under section 9 of this Act. STATEMENT of OBJECTS AND REASONS The recent incident of the commission of sati in the village of Deorala in Rajasthan, its subsequent glorification and the various attempts made by the protagonists of this practice to justify its 'continuance on religious grounds had aroused apprehension all over the country that this evil social practice, eradicated long back, will be revived. A general feeling had also grown in the country that the efforts put in by social reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy and others ' in the last century would be nullified by; this single act· in Rajasthan. The commission of sati in Deoraia was also followed by a number of congregations, ceremonies and festivals, and attempts were also made to collect funds for the construction of a temple at the site where sati was committed. The place had also attracted large number of crowds and in spite of the various steps taken by the State Government of Rajasthan and the order of the, High Court of Rajasthan to prohibit any ceremony being conducted, it was feared that a temple would be constructed at the site to perpetuate the memory of the widow who committed sati. These had evoked protests throughout the country and demands are being made by the women's organizations and from persons inside and outside Parliament for the enactment of a strong and deterrent Central law to provide for the more effective prevention of the commission of sati and its glorification so that this practice or its glorification is not continued in States where there is no law for the prevention or glorification of sati. Although the offence of attempt to commit suicide as contained in section 309 of the Indian Penal Code had been held by various High Courts to include the commission of sati punishable under the provision, the sentence provided in that section was not deterrent enough to prevent the commission of such practice. Further, that section also did not provide for the glorification of sati subsequent to the commission of sati. There are at present only three laws in force in the States, including the Rajasthan Sati (Prevention) Act, 1987. The other two enactments are the, Bengal Sati Regulation, 1829 (Bengal Regulation XVII of 1829) and the Tamil Nadu Sati Regulation, 1830 (Tamil Nadu Regulation 1 of 1830).

Section 22