Jaipur: After nearly a decade, a special court resumes hearing in the cases under the Prevention of Sati Act registered against 21 people in the aftermath of the infamous Roop Kanwar case in 1987, following rejection of their appeals by the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court, which in 1993 and 1997 stayed proceedings in the special court against the accused including vice-president of BJP's (Bharatiya Janata Party) Rajasthan unit Rajendra Singh Rathore and chief of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, had in April 2003 lifted the stay by rejecting their appeals.

The special court has fixed July 18 and 19 for the next hearing in the case, official sources said.

The cases were registered in 1987 against 21 people for holding rallies and meetings after the famous Deorala Sati incident in which a young woman Roop Kanwar was burnt alive on the funeral pyre of her husband.

The state Assembly enacted the Prevention of Sati Act and established the special court for quick disposal of cases in 1987.

PTI