Bangalore: The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday granted conditional bail to ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Y Sampangi and also suspended his conviction of three years and six months rigorous imprisonment given by a trial court in a bribery case.
Admitting Sampangi`s bail petition, Justice V Jagannathan ordered him to pay a surety of Rs.100,000 for his release. The court asked him not to leave the country without its permission. He is lodged in the central jail.
"We have appealed to the high court for our client`s bail and suspension of his sentence under section 389 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The court felt that we had substantial grounds to seek the bail and suspension of the conviction," counsel Sandeep Patil told reporters.
Lokayukta (ombudsman) special court judge N K Sudhindra Rao on Saturday found Sampangi guilty of violating section 13 (1) of the Prevention of Corruption Act by accepting Rs.500,000 (Rs.5 lakh) Jan 29, 2009 from a businessman over a land dispute at the legislators` home behind the state secretariat in central Bangalore.
The first-time lawmaker from Kolar Gold Fields assembly segment, about 100 km from here, is also the first legislator in the state to have been trapped by the ombudsman in a bribery case.
Sampangi`s counsel also filed an interim application in the high court Tuesday challenging the trial court`s judgement, including the conviction and the sentence.
The court has posted the case for next hearing to June 18.
IANS
