Former Home Minister Shivraj Patil Passes Away At 91

Former Union Home Minister and senior Congress leader Shivraj Patil passed away in Latur on Friday, as reported by NDTV. He was 91.

Patil breathed his last at around 6:30 a.m. at his residence in Latur. He was under home care due to prolonged illness. He is survived by his son Shailesh Patil, daughter-in-law Archana, who is a BJP leader, and two granddaughters.

Patil was a former Speaker of the Lok Sabha and held key portfolios in the Union cabinet. He had won the Latur Lok Sabha seat seven times.

Born on October 12, 1935, Patil began his political journey as municipal council chief of Latur and was elected as an MLA in the early 70s. Later, he went on to win the Latur Lok Sabha seat seven times. He lost to BJP’s Rupatai Patil Nilangekar in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections.

Patil was a lawyer by training. In the 1980s, he held Union portfolios, including defence and commerce. He was elected Speaker of the Lok Sabha in 1991 and served until 1996, a period during which he backed efforts such as computerisation and public access to parliamentary information.

Patil’s tenure as home minister came under intense scrutiny after the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. On November 30, 2008, his resignation was accepted by the President, and he stepped down citing moral responsibility, a rare instance of a senior minister quitting after a major security failure.

He later remained active in public life, and his parliamentary career included a long stint in the Lok Sabha between 1980 and 2004. After leaving the Union cabinet, Patil served as Governor of Punjab and Administrator of Chandigarh from 2010 to 2015.

Known for his dignified conduct, he never indulged in personal attacks, neither in public speeches nor in private conversations, said a party leader.

Patil was also known for his vast reading, meticulous study, and articulate presentation. His command over Marathi, English, and Hindi, along with his exceptional grasp of constitutional matters, made him a much-respected parliamentarian of his time, added the party leader.