‘Committed no wrong’: BJP's Ravi Patil on Form-7 submission in Belagavi North

A local court on Monday, October 4, granted conditional interim bail to Ravi Patil, a BJP leader from the Belagavi North Assembly constituency, who is facing charges of misusing Form-7 to seek the deletion of the names of some Muslim voters.

The Belagavi police had registered an FIR against Dr Patil at the Belagavi Market Police Station over allegations that he misused Form-7 and attempted to illegally delete the names of about 198 Muslim voters from Veerabhadra Nagar during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Aman Sait, a young Congress leader, had seized the forms from two persons employed in Dr Patil's hospital and complained to the District Election Officer. Meerasab Sanadi, a Booth Level Agent, then filed a police complaint against Dr Patil, two of his employees and 20 others. 

Dr Patil approached the Second Additional District and Sessions Court in Belagavi, which granted him interim bail. He also appeared on Sunday before the investigating officer of the Belagavi Market Police Station who is looking into the complaint.

Judge Gangadhar K N issued the order, granting bail on the furnishing of a bond for Rs 50,000 and a surety for the same amount. The court imposed conditions requiring him not to tamper with evidence or intimidate witnesses, to appear before the investigating officers when summoned, and to refrain from engaging in criminal activities.

Speaking to reporters after appearing before the police, Dr Patil said: "I was summoned by the police for questioning. I have appeared before them. I have committed no wrong."

He said he had submitted Form-7 in the Belagavi North Assembly constituency and asked officials to check suspicious voters. "I have not asked for the deletion of the votes of a particular community. We don't have the power to do so. I have only objected to some confusion in the voters' list. I have not done anything that will create tension in society," he said.

Replying to a query, Dr Patil said it was BJP workers who had submitted Form-7, not the staff of his hospital, and that the allegations were "false and concocted".