Bengaluru: A Bengaluru court on Thursday (June 13) has issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against former Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa in a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO Act) case.
As per a Bar and Bench report, the warrant was issued by Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge, (Fast Track Special Court-I) N.M. Ramesh. The Crime Investigation Department (CID) may arrest Yediyurappa following this development.
Yediyurappa has also moved an anticipatory bail petition before the high court fearing arrest.
The case pertains to the accusations made by the mother of a 17-year-old girl who had alleged that the former chief minister had sexually assaulted her daughter when they visited him at his Bengaluru residence this February seeking help. A complaint was also lodged against Yediyurappa under the Pocso Act and Section 354 A (Sexual harassment) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Sadashivanagar police station on March 14.
The Hindu reported that a writ petition was filed by the victim’s brother in the Karnataka high court asking why Yediyurappa was not arrested in connection with the case yet following which the CID had issued summons to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) senior leader to appear for questioning on June 12. The department moved the court seeking his arrest since Yediyurappa responded saying he was in New Delhi and would appear for questioning on June 17.
The high court will hear Yediyurappa’s petitions — seeking to quash the POSCO case against him and a petition filed by the victim’s brother seeking his arrest — tomorrow (June 14), Bar and Bench mentioned.
The victim’s mother who was the complainant in this case had passed away in a city hospital last month due to lungs cancer.