Warangal: A man sentenced to life imprisonment for murder in 1983 managed to stay out of prison for more than four decades after failing to return from parole. During those years, he built a new life as a government schoolteacher and even received a Best Teacher award.

Sandula Veerana was convicted of murder in Warangal district and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1983. About six months into his sentence, he was released on parole for 30 days. The parole was later extended until March 1984.

Veerana was ordered to return to prison by March 18, 1984. Instead, he disappeared from the prison system.

He built a career as a teacher

Rather than living in hiding, Veerana managed to secure a government school teaching job.

He continued working for years and retired from government service around 2013. In 2004, he was even honoured with a Best Teacher award by the Andhra Pradesh government.

His life outside prison continued for more than 40 years without authorities tracking him down.

That changed in May 2024, when a Special Task Force finally located and arrested him. He was later lodged at Cherlapalli Central Prison.

Wife challenges his arrest

After Veerana’s arrest, his wife, Sandela Charamma, approached the Telangana High Court seeking relief.

She argued that the authorities had failed to trace her husband for four decades and questioned why the state was acting against him after such a long period.

The High Court rejected the plea.

Justice Tangirala Madhavi Devi noted that Veerana had evaded his sentence for 40 years, one month and 28 days.

Court bars him from parole

The court ordered the forfeiture of around 27 days of earned remission because of his prolonged absence from prison.

It also imposed a three-year ban on parole and furlough, including on medical grounds.

The court observed that Veerana’s long career as a government teacher raised serious concerns. His ability to remain employed for decades suggested that he had concealed his criminal conviction while obtaining and retaining the government job.

Court orders better tracking system

The case also exposed major gaps in the state’s system for monitoring prisoners released on parole.

The High Court directed the authorities to create a stronger mechanism to track parolees so that someone serving a sentence cannot disappear from the system for decades.

After spending more than 40 years outside prison and building a career as a teacher, Veerana is now back behind bars to serve the sentence he left unfinished.