New Delhi: The Karnataka government has argued before the high court that the First Information Report (FIR) filed against former chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor should not be quashed. Instead, the government contends that the case should proceed to trial.
Special Public Prosecutor Ravivarma Kumar presented the government’s case, emphasising that forensic reports confirm the authenticity of a video recording that shows the minor’s mother confronting Yediyurappa about the alleged incident. The forensic analysis also verified that Yediyurappa’s voice matches the voice in the recording, Kumar said, LiveLaw reported.
Kumar argued that the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act presumes the accused’s guilt until proven otherwise. He also pointed out that Yediyurappa had appeared before the investigating authorities but was not subjected to custodial interrogation.
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Justice M. Nagaprasanna, who is hearing the case, asked Kumar if he was suggesting that the trial should proceed, to which Kumar replied affirmatively.
The case pertains to an alleged incident in February 2024, when the minor, then 17 years old, was allegedly sexually assaulted by the former chief minister. A complaint was 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 by the minor’s mother, which was later handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The CID filed a chargesheet in June 2024.
Yediyurappa has denied the allegations, and his advocates have argued that the incident never occurred.
On December 18, the Karnataka high court expressed a prima facie view that it was not possible for it to quash proceedings against Yediyurappa solely based on the statements of witnesses who disagree with the victim’s version of the alleged incident.
However, in June 2024, the high court had stepped in to prevent the CID from arresting Yediyurappa, with Justice Krishna S. Dixit noting that “[Yediyurappa] is not some Tom, Dick or Harry to flee… He is a former chief minister of (a) state.”
The court has adjourned the hearing to January 17.
