'Y' Sampangi case is still pending?

House committee blames Lokayukta for delay in sending relevant documents

 It has been 68 days since the committee was constituted, so far it met only once and achieved no progress.

The Lokayukta police arrested Sampangi while he was allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 5 lakh at Legislators’ Home on January 29. He had allegedly demanded Rs 5 lakh from Farooq, a businessman, for a favour in respect of a complaint registered in KGF.

Following a heated debate over the issue in the Legislature and Opposition parties’ demand for the MLA’s suspension, Speaker Jagadish Shettar constituted an all-party committee on March 6.

The committee was asked to probe into misuse of officials, special officers and priveleges of the Assembly by the MLA and recommend steps that the House could take against him. The committee headed by deputy speaker K G Bopaiah was asked to submit report within next 30 days. So far the committee met only once.

Panel’s version

K G Bopaiah blames the Lokayukta for the delay in submitting its recommendations. He said that the Lokayukta did not submit necessary documents till April 20.

Later members of the committee were busy in elections. “We held a meeting without necessary documents. The second meeting is scheduled for May 14,” he said.

Considering the delay in holding committee meetings the speaker had extended the period of inquiry. Shettar said he had granted two months more time for the committee to submit its recommendations.

Congress MLA N Y Gopalakrishna, a member of the committee, said that he would attend the meeting as and when he got the invitation notice.

Santhosh Hegde clarifies

Karnataka Lokayukta Justice N Santhosh Hegde finds no reason to delay in conducting the proceedings of the committee.

“The committee had sought specific information from the Lokayukta. We sent the details. Later they said they wanted reports of chemical tests. The reports were sent by April 24. Since then it has been 19 days, but the committee did not meet even once”, Santhosh Hegde said. “The Committee should not blame the Lokayukta for their failure. If they were committed to submit their recommendations well in advance they would have completed their work by this time,” he said.

Legislator refuses to  give voice sample

The Lokayukta is facing a peculiar problem. MLA Y Sampangi is refusing to give his voice sample to the Lokayukta.

Minutes before arresting the accused the Lokayukta police had recorded Sampangi’s conversation with police official of KGF over phone.

The recorded voice serves as main evidence for the case. Sampangi’s denial to give his voice sample has forced the Lokayukta delay file charge sheet to the court.

Lokayukta Justice Santhosh Hegde said, “If he gives his voice sample it can be compared and analysed with the recorded conversation. The genuineness of the voice can be verified only by analysing the voice sample,” he said.

Even without the sample, the Lokayukta will go ahead with filing a charge sheet against the accused, Hegde said.

The Lokayukta said that Lokayukta ADGP Rupakumar Datta is on leave and will return to duty on May 18.
Soon after his return the Lokayukta will finalise and submit the charge sheet to court.