The practice was prevailed in almost all part of India especially among “Rajputs”.
At just it was voluntary later it became forced act.
So he passed Sati Prohibition Act in 1829 on Dec 4 with the help of Raja Rammohan Roy.
According to this act if anyone who forced women to perform Sati would be given capital punishment.
In 1830 the Act was extended to Bombay & Madras presidency.
Female Infanticide
Colonel Todd, Johnson Duncan and Malcolm had discussed about this custom and found family pride, Dowry system and finding suitable match are major factors for this barbarous culture.
Some Laws enacted against this practice in 1795, 1802, 1804 & 1870.
Widow Remarriage
During 19th century the number of widows increasing due to war and famine.
So social reformers were make sincere efforts to popularize widow remarriage by writing in Newspapers.
Prominent Leaders like Raja Ram Mohan Roy & Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar work for the promotion of Widow Remarriage.
In July 1856 P. Grant the then member of Governor General’s council tabled a bill in support of Widow Remarriage.
On 13 July, 1856 Widow Remarriage Act
Child Marriage
In 1870 Indian Reform Association under Keshab Chandra Sen advocated for abolition of Child Marriage.
Journal “Mahapap Bal Vivah” (Child Marriage the Cardinal sin) was published by M.Malabari for against child marriage.
In 1846 minimum marriageable age was fixed for 10 years.
In 1891 Age of consent Act was passed and it fixed 12 years as minimum age for marriage.
Sharda Act 1929 increased the marriageable age as 14 years for Women and 18 years for Men.
In 1978 the Independent Indian government increased the marriage age for women as 18 years and for men as 21 years.
Recently Indian Government introduced Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which seeks to rise the age of legal marriage for women from 18 to 21.
Purdah System
In 19th and 20th century the voices raised against this system
This system is not much prevalent in South India but mostly Northern region and more prevalent in Rajasthan and Gujarat regions among Hindu women.
Through large scale participation of women in National Freedom movements the purdah system slowly disappeared without legislation.
