Sati custom was a widow-burning custom that prevailed among the followers of the Hindu faith in the Indian subcontinent. This refers to a woman who burns herself willingly on the funeral pyre of her husband. One rationale behind the origin of the sati custom was that a deceased man still needed the services of his wife or wives, mistresses, and female slaves even after his death. It was further justified because a woman's life had no value after the death of her husband.
The custom of sati was originally confined to the royal families and to some high-ranking noble families, but later it became widespread. Initially, this custom was considered to be a voluntary act. However, as time passed by, it was made more of an obligation for women rather than a choice. This custom was more pervasive in the medieval period when it was manipulated for settling personal scores and securing individual ambitions.
King Mana Dev prevented her mother from going to sati upon the sudden death of his father Dharma Dev. 33 wives of Yog Narendra Malla and 9 wives of Pratap Malla committed sati. In the 19th century, 16 women committed sati at the funeral of King Rana Bahadur Shah. (Wife, female slaves)
The first Rana Prime Minister Jung Bahadur Rana tried to ban sati custom through the Country Code of 1910 BS but couldn't completely do so due to strong opposition from the Hindu priest class. He banned women below 15 years from committing sati, women whose children were below 16 (boys) and below 5 (girls) were not allowed to commit sati. Similarly, if a woman had more than one husband, or if she was pregnant for 6 months or more then going sati will be illegal. Slave women were also prohibited from this act. An advocate must be present when sati is performed to ensure that the act is voluntary or not coerced. Anyone forcing women to commit sati was to be charged with murder. Jung Bahadur Rana was successful in preventing the wives of his brothers from committing sati, but his own 3 wives committed sati upon his death in 1933 BS.
Later, Prime Minister Bir Shumsher issued an Istihar (Legal Notice) to control the sati pratha in the year 1944 BS which prohibited pregnant with at least one month of womb and having children of any age from performing sati. He also made government permission mandatory before women could be sent to sati. Finally, Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher announced the formal abolition of the long-standing horrible custom of sati pratha.