Lokayukta jails Karnataka MLA Y Sampangi for bribe

Rajiv Kalkod & Madhusoodan MK, TNN Jun 3, 2012

BANGALORE: For the first time in Karnataka, the special Lokayukta court on Saturday sent a sitting MLA to jail on charge of accepting a bribe. Kolar Gold Fields MLA Y Sampangi was led into Parappana Agrahara prison after Lokayukta court judge NK Sudhindra Rao sentenced him to three and a half years' rigorous imprisonment for accepting a bribe of Rs 5 lakh.

The judge also slapped on Sampangi a fine of Rs 40,000; if he doesn't pay up, he will have to undergo 6 months' additional rigorous imprisonment. The court also slapped a fine of Rs 30,000. He has been convicted on three counts under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Jail officials shifted Sampangi to a VIP cell after he entered the jail at around 4pm. Around 6pm, he was shifted to the observation cell, where new inmates are kept. Once they get used to the harsh reality of their arrest, they are shifted to the barracks. As per rules, doctors checked Sampangi at the jail hospital. "He was tense, anxious and depressed. He silently signed the papers and was moved to the cell," sources said.

Sampangi, who earned Rs 6,667 per day as an MLA - (Rs 2 lakh a month) - will now earn Rs 30 a day as a convict. As per jail rules, convicts undergoing rigorous imprisonment should do jobs like carpentry, gardening, tailoring and weaving. Unlike VIP inmates like G Janardhana Reddy, Sampangi is not allowed home food.

For his jail stay, Sampangi was given a white shirt and shorts. However, in the evening, he was seen in maroon pyjamas and a white shirt. He was also given a pillow, two towels and a blanket. He will have to share an Indian-style toilet with 30 other convicts.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-06-03/india/32005383_1_jail-rigorous-imprisonment-lokayukta-court