Mary Roy

Mary Roy is an Indian educator and women's rights activist, who won a lawsuit in 1986, against the inheritance legislation of her Keralite Syrian Christian community in the Supreme Court. The judgement ensured equal rights for Syrian Christian women, with their male siblings in their ancestral property.^[1][2]

Mary Roy was the recipient of a share of the property of her father as dowry during her marriage. The custom of giving daughters a share of the property as dowry is a common practice in the Indian state of Kerala as the inheritance laws favor the sons. Dowry is seen as a balancing custom so that the daughter too gets a share of the property. Mary Roy, after receiving her share of the property in the form of dowry, sued her brothers after her father's death. This was the case that made its way through the Indian court system and which she won.

Roy is the founder-director of Pallikoodam school (formerly Corpus Christi High School) at Kalathilpady, a suburb of Kottayam town in the state of Kerala ^[3]. Her daughter is the Man Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy.

References

1. ^ An Interview with Mary Roy www.rediff.com.
2. ^ Mary Roy case The Hindu, May 29, 2006.
3. ^ About Principal Pallikoodam Official website.

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Name	Roy, Mary
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