Courting trouble is not new to MLA Sampangi

KOLAR: The Special Lokayukta Court delivered a double whammy to BJP legislator from KGF Y Sampangi  by cancelling his bail application and ordering that he be kept under judicial remand until enquiry of witnesses in a graft case involving him is conducted.Sampangi, it must be noted, has had a non-illustrious record during the three years he was a state legislator; he has the dubious distinction of being the first legislator in the history of the state to be caught red-handed for graft.The MLA was caught accepting a bribe from a businessman Farooq on January 29, 2009, in exchange for  favours in a land dispute and was subsequently remanded in judicial custody.He was later granted bail subject to certain conditions. Sampangi courted trouble again, this time when he identified himself with the  dissident group of state legislators who wanted to breakaway from the B S Yeddyurappa-led government, and was promptly disqualified by the Assembly Speaker K G Bopaiah.The disqualification was upheld by the High Court but was eventually struck down by the Supreme Court.Farooq on Friday appeared before the Lokayukta Court and filed an affidavit for the cancellation of  Sampangi’s bail, stating that he was under threat and that the MLA had violated the conditions  imposed by the Lokayukta Court while granting him bail.