Which Governor-General abolished the Sati system in 1829 by passing Regulation…

Concept

A social custom in British India was abolished by law only when a sitting Governor-General used his legislative power under the Bengal Regulations system to give the force of law to a reform campaign already pressed by social reformers.

Application

Lord William Bentinck, Governor-General of India from 1828 to 1835, enacted Bengal Regulation XVII of 1829, declaring the practice of Sati (widow immolation) a criminal offence equivalent to culpable homicide within the Bengal Presidency. The regulation was extended to the Madras and Bombay presidencies the following year. Bentinck acted after sustained campaigning by Raja Ram Mohan Roy and the Brahmo Samaj, who argued that Sati had no scriptural sanction and pressed the Company government for its abolition.

Cross-check

Checking the tenure and legacy of the other Governors-General named confirms none of them enacted this regulation:

• Lord Curzon (Governor-General and Viceroy, 1899-1905) is remembered for the 1905 Partition of Bengal and administrative reorganisation of the frontier provinces, decades after the Sati regulation.

• Lord Canning (Governor-General and Viceroy, 1856-1862) is remembered for the Government of India Act, 1858, transferring control of India from the East India Company to the Crown.

• Lord Dalhousie (Governor-General, 1848-1856) is remembered for the Doctrine of Lapse policy of annexation and for introducing railways and the telegraph to India.

None of these Governors-General enacted Regulation XVII of 1829; only Lord William Bentinck's tenure and administrative record match the question, confirming him as the answer.