Fifty days after opting for santhara – fast unto death, 82-year-old Badni Devi passed away this morning in Bikaner. She had undertaken this Jain tradition of renouncing life by voluntarily starving to death amid raging debates on religious freedom.
Santhara came into focus after the Rajasthan High Court directed the state police to file criminal cases against people opting for this age old practise. It had held Santhara illegal and punishable under the attempt to suicide and abetment to suicide sections of the Indian Penal Code.
But, the Supreme Court lifted the ban earlier this week, paving way for Badni Devi’s santhara. Though she had started her fast in July, family members made public her santhara decision only after the apex court’s order.
Fast Unto Death
Badni Devi had been surviving just on a few teaspoons of water every day. Her passing away is the first such death post a legal battle over the right to follow the ritual.
Family and community members poured in large numbers at Badni Devi’s home to pay their last tributes.
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