Murder convict in Bangalore wants to contest zilla panchayat polls

A prisoner convicted of murder has appealed for the high court’s permission to contest the upcoming polls to the zilla panchayat from Afzalpur constituency in Gulbarga district.

The convict, Subhash Patil, in a letter to the registrar (judicial) of the high court, expressed his desire to run the polls.
Patil, currently lodged in the Gulbarga central jail, sent the letter through the superintendent of the prison. He has requested for a 25-day stay on the conviction order to contest the polls. Patil was arrested in 2002 in connection with the murder of an excise contractor, Ashok Guttedar.

The convict had opened fire at Guttedar on June 15, 2002, in the hope of leading a life together with the contractor’s wife, Padmavathi, who was also arrested on charges of conspiracy. Patil was an MBBS student of Mahadevappa Rampur Medical College in Gulbarga when he was arrested.

The seventh fast track court in the city had sentenced Patil and Padmavathi for life imprisonment in February 15, 2006. A week later, Patil filed an appeal against the fast track court’s verdict, which has been pending before the court.

Patil was lodged in the Parappana Agrahara central prison before he was shifted to Gulbarga two years ago. According to the Parappana Agrahara jail officials, Patil actively participated in cultural programmes organised in the prison. He also completed a diploma course and earned his Masters degree in Journalism through correspondence while he was jailed.

The prisoner’s father Tukaram Patil is a former member of the Gulbarga zilla panchayat and his mother, Eramma T Patil, has been a sitting member of the council.