Karnataka HC halts arrest or detention of former CM BS Yediyurappa in POCSO case
Jun 14, 2024
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 14 : The Karnataka High Court on Friday restrained coercive proceedings of arrest and detention against former Karnataka Chief Minister and senior BJP leader BS Yediyurappa in a POCSO case registered against him, until the next date of hearing.
Yediyurappa will appear before jurisdictional police on June 17.
"He (Yediyurappa) has already written a letter, communicating that he is going to appear on the 17th. In all probability, he will appear on the 17th," Sandeep C Patil told ANI.
Sandeep C Patil, advocate appearing for former Karnataka CM and senior BJP leader BS Yediyurappa, said that the Karnataka High Court opined that there should not be any kind of arrest as Yediyurappa is cooperating. So therefore, any such warrant or otherwise is put on hold.
"We had approached the High Court. We had brought the petition challenging the malafide action on the part of the investigating agencies. The court was today of the opinion that since Yediyurappa, being a former chief minister, keeping in mind his age and also his conduct of having taken part in the investigation, this is not a case where the investigator should have gone to court and got a warrant. There should not be any kind of arrest as he is cooperating. So therefore any such warrant or otherwise is put on hold. And any course steps also the investigator cannot take from now on," Sandeep C Patil told ANI.
Yediyurappa was on Thursday issued a non-bailable warrant under the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in connection with the alleged sexual assault on a minor girl.
The BJP has alleged a conspiracy by the Congress in the case to divert attention from a corruption case involving Minister B Nagendra.
Notably, in March, the mother of the victim had filed a complaint against Yediyurappa the Sadashivanagar police station in Bengaluru, alleging that the former chief minister had sexually assaulted her daughter. In this regard, the brother of the victim filed a petition in the court.
The fast-track court hearing the petition had issued a non-bailable warrant against Yediyurappa, directing his immediate arrest.
