A special court in Bengaluru has once again taken cognisance of the charge sheet filed by the Karnataka Criminal Investigation Department (CID) against former chief minister BS Yediyurappa in a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and issued fresh summons to the 82-year-old BJP veteran and three other people, directing them to appear on March 15, according to a senior official.
“The development follows a Karnataka high court directive on February 7, which referred the case back to the Pocso court due to a lack of reasoning in the court’s previous order dated July 4, 2024. The high court, while not halting the proceedings, granted Yediyurappa anticipatory bail considering his age and stature as a former chief minister,” an official aware of the development said.
The case was registered on March 14, 2024, following a complaint by a woman who alleged that Yediyurappa molested her 17-year-old daughter when they visited his residence in Bengaluru’s Dollars Colony.
The CID on June 27 filed a charge sheet in the fast track court which alleged that Yediyurappa and three other people coaxed the complainant and her daughter to hush up the matter.
The charge sheet invoked section 8 (punishment for sexual assault) of Pocso Act, sections 354A (sexual harassment), 204 (destruction of document or electronic record to prevent its production as evidence) and 214 (offering gift or restoration of property in consideration of screening offender) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
{{/usCountry}}The charge sheet invoked section 8 (punishment for sexual assault) of Pocso Act, sections 354A (sexual harassment), 204 (destruction of document or electronic record to prevent its production as evidence) and 214 (offering gift or restoration of property in consideration of screening offender) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
{{/usCountry}}The three other accused — Arun Y M, Rudresh M and G Mariswamy — aides of Yediyurappa, are charged under sections 204 and 214 of IPC.The 54-year-old complainant died at a private hospital in Bengaluru due to lung cancer in May last year.
The Pocso court had initially taken cognisance of the charge sheet on July 4, 2024, summoning Yediyurappa and the other accused for trial. However, the legal proceedings were stalled due to his plea before the Karnataka High Court seeking to quash the charge sheet. Despite the absence of a stay order from the high court, the case saw delays until the recent decision by the special court to reconsider the charge sheet and proceed with the trial.