Educationist and social activist Mary Roy passed away at the age of 89
Kottayam:
Educationist and social activist Mary Roy, whose legal battle ensured equal rights for Syrian Christian women to their ancestral property, died on Thursday, family sources said. She was 89 years old. He said that he died at his home due to age-related ailments.
Roy, mother of author and Man Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy and Lalit Roy, is also the founder of Pallikudam School.
The family said that to pay tribute to the people, his body will be kept at his home in Pallikoodam premises from 3 pm to 9 pm on Thursday and from 7 am to noon on September 2 at MR Block, Pallikoodam premises, the family said. The family said. His funeral will take place in the afternoon.
In the mid-1980s, Roy began a legal battle in the Supreme Court demanding gender equality for women inheriting the ancestral property of Syrian Christian families in Kerala.
In 1986, the Supreme Court accepted his petition in a historic decision.
Overturning the provisions of the Travancore Succession Act of 1916 of the princely state of Travancore, the Supreme Court ruled that female members of the community had equal rights in their father’s property.
The case fought against her brothers demanding her equal rights over her deceased father’s property is known in Indian legal history as the “Mary Roy Case”.
Born in 1933 in Aymanam village to a Christian family, Roy did his schooling in Delhi and later earned a degree from a college in Chennai. She married Rajeev Roy while working as a secretary in a Kolkata company. He founded Pallikudam in 1967.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of Opposition in the state assembly VD Satheesan condoled.
Mr Vijayan said that Mary Roy has contributed significantly in education and activities to ensure the welfare of women in the society.
The Chief Minister also recalled that she was a person who has made a place in history through her legal fight for the property rights of women.
Mr. Satisan said she was a symbol of the struggle for women’s rights.