Jailed BJP MLA Y. Sampangi has been given the prisoner number 5692 at the Parappana Agrahara Central Jail. Mr Sampangi, the first MLA to be convicted in the state, has been allotted P1 cell which is in the administrative block. Sampangi has to share the cell with eight other prisoners and has to wear the jail uniform compulsorily. He has got two sets of the prisoner uniform. The prison authorities have given him a blanket, two towels, a set of plate and mug. He cannot get food from outside.
He is at liberty to pick any of the works – tailoring, cooking, gardening, security, soap manufacturing, bakery, carpentry and handloom – which is compulsory for all inmates. He should start working from Tuesday and he will be paid Rs 30 per day. Mr Sampangi, who represents the KGF assembly constituency, was convicted by the Lokayukta court on June 2 to undergo nearly three-and-a-half-years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 90,000. He was caught red handed by the Lokayukta police on January 29, 2009 while accepting Rs 50,000 in cash and Rs 4.5 lakh by cheque from Farooq, a businessman, to settle a civil dispute.
MLA appeals against conviction
Mr Sampangi took no time to approach the high court against the conviction order passed by the Lokayukta court. He filed a criminal appeal before the high court on Monday, challenging the verdict of the Lokayukta court holding him guilty of offences on three accounts under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Mr Sampangi’s criminal petition has been listed before the bench headed by Justice V. Jagannathan for Tuesday. His advocate said that the petitions were filed seeking to suspend the sentence along with bail and an appeal questioning the conviction. “We are mainly questioning the verdict as there is no corroboration of the complainant's evidence. And as per a Supreme Court verdict, there can be no conviction based on uncorroborated testimony from the complainant. Moreover, the complainant was in the MLA’s room when the raid took place. This makes him a shadow witness,” he said. The Assembly Speaker gave permission, but not any sanction against Mr Sampangi.