A partial relief has been granted to former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa by the Karnataka High Court, which has issued a stay order against his arrest in connection with a Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) case. The high court has directed Yediyurappa to appear before investigators on June 17, and the coercive proceedings of arrest and detention have been kept on hold until then.
The fast-track court had earlier issued a non-bailable warrant against Yediyurappa, directing his immediate arrest. However, the high court has now stayed the arrest warrant and granted Yediyurappa interim relief.
The BJP has alleged that the case against Yediyurappa is a conspiracy by the Congress to divert attention from a corruption case involving Minister B Nagendra. The Congress has denied these allegations and has said that the case against Yediyurappa is based on a complaint from the mother of a 17-year-old girl who alleged that he sexually assaulted her daughter during a meeting on February 2 this year at his residence in Dollars Colony.
Yediyurappa, who is presently in the national capital, has applied for anticipatory bail at a special court, seeking prevention from arrest. He has been booked under the POCSO Act and Section 354 A (Sexual harassment) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) based on the complaint by the girl’s mother.
