Kerala High Court Dismisses Petition By Sister Lucy Seeking Police Protection

Sister Lucy petition: According to the news agency ANI, the Kerala High Court has dismissed the petition by Sister Lucy Kalappura seeking police protection to continue her stay at the Franciscan Clarist Convent at Karakkamala, Wayanad.

The High Court of Kerala also said that it cannot direct her to go out of the convent. She had previously protested against rape-accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal and was asked to vacate her residential hostel. After her protest against Franco Mulakkal, she was expelled from the Franciscan Clarist Congregation in 2019.

The court directed the Munsiff court at Mananthavady, Kerala, to consider the plea by Sister Lucy regarding her right to stay in the convent within three weeks.

Kerala HC dismisses petition by Sister Lucy Kalappura seeking police protection to continue her stay at Franciscan Clarist Convent at Karakkamala, Wayanad. Court also clears that it can't direct her to go out of the convent

She had protested against rape accused Franco Mulakkal pic.twitter.com/J1NEs845pv

— ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2021

After she was asked to vacate the hostel, she claimed that the actions taken against her are the result of her protest against the rape-accused Bishop. Last year, Sister Lucy had applied in court for police protection until the case against the accused ended. The court said that the protection could not be granted to her as long as she was on the convent premises. The proceedings of her eviction from the convent are underway.

After Sister Lucy was dismissed from the Kerala church congregation about two years ago, she made several appeals to church authorities challenging her dismissal. However, after her latest appeal was rejected by the Vatican, she was issued a notice to vacate the quarters of her convent. She was issued a letter by the Franciscan Clarist Congregation (FCC), part of the Catholic Church, which said that there was no further legal remedy available to her within the Catholic legal system to challenge her dismissal. The notice further called it unlawful for her to continue to stay in any of Franciscan Clarist Convents.

After the order of vacating the convent was issued, Sister Lucy said that justice was denied to her for speaking the truth. She said that the people who are denying her justice are the ones who teach that truth must be told. Read more on the case here.