KOCHI: Sr Lucy Kalapura chose conscience over compliance. On Saturday, she stood in a black gown on the Kerala High Court campus, enrolled as an advocate, ready to speak for those whose voices are often drowned out by power and conformity. The enrolment ceremony was held at the Bar Council Bhavan.
Sr Lucy completed her law degree from Sree Narayana Law College, Poothotta, staying in the hostel during her studies.
“The difficult phases were terrifying, but I managed to achieve success with 70% marks,” she said.
She plans to begin her legal practice in Ernakulam before shifting to Wayanad in a few months.
“I want to intervene for the larger good of society. I was put through the wringer for raising my voice for a woman who was denied justice. But I did not sit in a corner grieving over it. I began my studies with determination and succeeded. The struggle must continue. There are many people, both within the church and outside, who are denied justice. I want to stand with them and provide legal support so that they can obtain justice,” Sr Lucy told TNIE.
She recalled a time when silence was expected, standing with the survivor in the alleged rape case involving Bishop Franco Mulakkal — who was later acquitted by the trial court — and the nuns of Kuravilangad convent who led a historic protest against the bishop.
“That protest, unprecedented in the history of the church in Kerala, remains a dark chapter. Many stood by the survivor and the protesting nuns. Several others responded with ridicule and hostility. But I decided to support the survivor during her most difficult time and remain in contact with her,” Sr Lucy said.
Her decision to support the protesters angered the church leadership. What followed was a series of actions that eventually led to her expulsion from the Franciscan Clarist Congregation (FCC) convent in Karakkamala, Wayanad. The church cited violations of convent rules, including her participation in the protest against Bishop Franco and alleged breaches such as owning a car and holding a driver’s licence.
However, despite the expulsion, Sr Lucy continues to reside in the convent on the strength of a court order.
“Everyone may have thought that I am no longer there. But where was I to go? The place is everything to me. I will not leave,” she affirmed.
The journey from the convent to the courtroom was neither easy nor chosen lightly.
“There was a moment when I felt I would be pushed into a corner and forgotten. That was when I decided to study law,” she recalled.
Without the protection of the institution she once belonged to, Sr Lucy rebuilt her life brick by brick. Law school, she said, was not just an academic pursuit but an act of survival and resistance.
The exclusion, injustice and humiliation she experienced became the fire that kept her going.
“For me, wearing the lawyer’s robe is more than a professional milestone, it is the reclaiming of my dignity,” she said, adding, “This is not just about me. It is about the survivor who is silenced, and about those who seek justice but face hurdles at every step.”
Sr Lucy believes her strength comes from lived experience, and that it is this strength that will guide her as she steps into the legal profession.