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BS Yediyurappa alleges ‘conspiracy’ behind POCSO case against him
Returning to Bengaluru from Delhi, former Karnataka Chief Minister said some tried to create confusion and everyone knows the fact.
Former Karnataka Chief Minister and senior BJP leader BS Yediyurappa said on Saturday that he will appear before the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on June 17 for inquiry in connection with allegations of sexually assaulting a minor girl under POCSO against him, PTI reported.
On his arrival in the city, the BJP veteran said people would teach a lesson to those "indulging in conspiracies" against him. "Unnecessarily some tried to create confusion, I don't want to blame anyone, everyone knows the fact," Yediyurappa told reporters.
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Yediyurappa's comments come a day after the Karnataka High Court restrained the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) from arresting him in connection with the POCSO case. The court also directed the veteran BJP leader to appear before the CID on June 17.
The High Court granted stay in response to a non-bailable warrant issued by a local court against Yediyurappa. The HC observed it cannot jump to a conclusion that a case is made out for arrest or custodial interrogation of Yediyurappa, who in the eyes of the court is in the “late evenings of his life, perhaps with ailments natural to the age.”
A special court in Bengaluru on Thursday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Yediyurappa, as he failed to appear before the CID on June 12, in the case registered against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on March 14 this year.
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On his delay in appearing for questioning, the senior BJP leader said, “I had gone to Delhi for a pre-scheduled programme. I had informed in advance in writing that I will appear for an inquiry on June 17.”
According to the police, Yediyurappa has been booked under the POCSO Act and Section 354 A (Sexual harassment) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) based on a complaint by the mother of a 17-year-old girl who alleged that he molested her daughter during a meeting on February two this year, at his residence in Dollars Colony here.
Yediyurappa said he would fight the case legally. He has filed two separate petitions in the High Court, seeking anticipatory bail and quashing the FIR. The victim's mother, who had levelled the charge against Yediyurappa, died at a private hospital in Bengaluru last month, due to lung cancer.
Earlier this week, the victim's brother had moved the court alleging that though the case was registered on March 14, no progress has been made in the investigation. The petitioner prayed the court for a direction to the police to arrest Yediyurappa and interrogate him.
After the Sadashivanagar police registered the case in March, the Karnataka Director General of Police (DGP) Alok Mohan issued an order transferring it to the CID for further investigation. In April, the CID collected the voice sample of Yediyurappa after summoning him to the office.
BJP National general secretary CT Ravi accused the Congress government of vendatta politics. He termed it as a retaliation for dragging Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to the court in a defamation case.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he and his government have never indulged in vendatta politics and will not do so in the future. “When they (BJP) booked cases against us, was it not targeting? Against me, against D K Shivakumar (Deputy CM), Rahul Gandhi (Congress leader) cases were booked, what should that be called? They had cancelled Rahul Gandhi's membership (of Lok Sabha). What should that be called?” PTI quoted the Karnataka CM as saying.
(With inputs from PTI)
