Pyle, J.
….
Appellant/Petitioner, William Cox (“Cox”), appeals the post-conviction court’s denial of his petition for post-conviction relief. On appeal, he argues that the post-conviction court erred when it failed to transfer his petition to the State Public Defender’s Office after he requested representation by the Public Defender and attached an affidavit of indigency to his petition. We agree that the post-conviction court’s failure to transfer the petition to the State Public Defender’s Office was reversible error, and we reverse and remand with instructions for the post-conviction court to transfer the petition.
….
… Indiana Post-Conviction Rule 1, § 2 mandates that a copy of an indigent prisoner’s petition for post-conviction relief be forwarded to the State Public Defender’s Office for review. Barclay v. State, 679 N.E.2d 163, 165 (Ind. Ct. App. 1997). Specifically, it provides that:
If an affidavit of indigence is attached to the petition [for postconviction relief], the clerk shall call this to the attention of the court. If the court finds that the petitioner is indigent, it shall allow petitioner to proceed in forma pauperis. If the court finds the indigent petitioner is incarcerated in the Indiana Department of Correction, and has requested representation, it shall order a copy of the petition sent to the Public Defender’s office.
P-C.R. 1, § 2. Our supreme court has noted … that the “referral requirement of [Post Conviction Rule 1, § 2] has considerable importance to the inmate as well as to the courts.” [Citation omitted.] As such, we have noted that failure of a post-conviction court to refer a petition to the State Public Defender’s Office upon the proper proof of indigence warrants reversal and remand. Barclay, 679 N.E.2d at 165.
Here, Cox requested representation by the State Public Defender’s Office and properly attached an affidavit of indigency to his petition for post-conviction relief. Accordingly, we conclude that the post-conviction court’s failure to refer Cox’s petition to the State Public Defender’s Office was reversible error. See id. We reverse and remand with instructions for the post-conviction court to forward Cox’s petition for post-conviction relief to the State Public Defender’s Office.
Reversed and remanded with instructions.
Baker, J., and Bradford, J., concur.