India's Jains Petition Court Over Right to Fast Until Death

In India’s Supreme Court, Jains have challenged a Rajasthan state high court order earlier this month that said "santhara," a Jain religious ritual of fasting to death, is tantamount to suicide and thus illegal. Sthanakvasi Jain Shravak Sangh, a Jain religious group, said in its petition filed to the Supreme Court on Tuesday that the ancient tradition of santhara is an integral part of Jainism, and that the “court cannot interfere” with its religious practice in a secular...

© La Voix de l'Amérique - mercredi 26 août 2015