The Karnataka High Court has ruled that former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa cannot be arrested until the next hearing in his case on June 17. The ruling comes after a non-bailable warrant was issued against the 81-year-old under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act.
Yediyurappa is facing allegations of sexual harassment involving a minor. His son, BY Raghvendra, has strongly denied the accusations, claiming there is “no truth” in the complaint.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) sought an arrest warrant after Yediyurappa failed to appear for questioning on Wednesday. However, the High Court stated that immediate arrest or detention was not justified at this stage, given Yediyurappa’s advanced age and health concerns.
The charges stem from a complaint filed by the mother of a 17-year-old girl on March 14, alleging that Yediyurappa sexually assaulted her daughter during a meeting at his residence in Dollars Colony on February 2. Yediyurappa’s lawyer, Sandeep Patil, claimed that the complainant had a history of filing cases and accused her of blackmailing.
Also Read: Non-bailable warrant issued against BS Yediyurappa in POCSO case
The woman who filed the complaint passed away from lung cancer last month, further complicating the case. Despite her death, the allegations have continued to spark intense political reactions.
‘Case against Yediyurappa a vendetta politics’
The BJP has accused the Congress of engaging in “vendetta politics” following their defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. The party’s Karnataka unit posted on social media, criticizing the warrant as politically motivated and based on a complaint from a “mentally unstable woman.”
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara has dismissed claims of a political angle in the case. Meanwhile, Yediyurappa maintains that the girl approached him for help with some legal issues but did not communicate clearly, leading him to question her mental stability.
As the case proceeds, both political parties are closely watching the developments, with significant implications for Karnataka’s political landscape.
