Chennai: Rosemary Angelina alias Lilly (87), a Mylapore resident, has approached the court asking for protection from her own family. After undergoing repeated harassment by her deceased husband for nearly four decades, she is now being harassed by none other than her son and daughter-in-law, hoping to take her house. Rosemary, an orphan, was raised by sisters of St Thomas Convent, and married Gnanaprakasam, a driver, in 1955. The convent allotted a house to her the same year. Gnanaprakasam became an alcoholic and abused Rosemary repeatedly, but died early.
After a long legal battle, she receives family pension of Rs 7,000 and Rs1,000 from the state government. With this amount, she has been taking care of her regular expenditure and medical expenses. With mounting medical bills, she later filed a petition in the family court, which on September 23, 2013, ordered her son to pay her Rs5,000 per month towards maintenance. An appeal against this order is pending in the court.
Her son Roch Luis Francis, 58, and his wife, Martha Francis, also reside with her. Her son Roch Luis and his wife were trying to force her to vacate the premises. They would make a lot of noise while she was sleeping in the house. On August 10, 2014, her son even removed the ceiling fan from her room. The duo inflicted physical and mental torture, she said.
They ill-treated her and tried to force her to vacate the premises. On November 1, 2013, they threw her out into the street. They stole her ration card, jewellery, bank receipts and medical records. A complaint was sent to the Chief Minister’s cell and forwarded to the Mylapore police. Since there was no response, she filed a petition with the XVIII metropolitan magistrate court, Saidapet, praying for protection from her son and daughter-in-law.
While directing the police to provide security to her whenever she requested it, metropolitan magistrate K. Anandavel directed her son and daughter-in-law not to prevent her entry into the house till the disposal of the case.
