A plea has been filed in the Karnataka High Court seeking BJP leader and former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa’s arrest in a POCSO case that was filed against him in March for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor.
Advocate S Balan, who is representing the minor’s family, filed the writ petition with the High Court on June 10, after the minor’s brother approached him. It is likely to come up for hearing next week.
Yediyurappa has been accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl at his house in Bengaluru’s Sanjaynagar on February 2. The girl’s mother had filed a complaint at the Sadashivanagar police station against Yeddyurappa on March 14. She alleged that he assaulted her daughter when they had gone to seek his help in getting justice for a previous sexual assault against her daughter.
Balan told TNM that he filed the writ petition with two main demands. “The investigation is progressing very slowly and we asked for a status report. We have also asked for Yeddyurappa’s arrest,” he said.
The writ petition notes that the girl’s statement before a magistrate under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code had already been recorded. The girl’s mother had also written to the chairperson of the Karnataka State Women’s Commission Nagalakashmi Choudhary on April 29, with a request to arrest Yeddyurappa.
Even after two months, the investigation against Yediyurappa was not progressing as defined under Section 2(h) of the CrPC, nor was he even given a notice under Section 41(a) (asking an accused to appear before the police where the offence does not require arrest), the petition said, adding, “hence this petition as there is no efficacious remedy other than approaching this Hon’ble Court for invoking its extraordinary jurisdiction.”
The minor’s mother was supposed to meet Balan on May 27 regarding the complaint against Yediyurappa. However, she died a day before, at Nano Hospital in Bengaluru, hours after she was brought in with breathing difficulties.
Read: Woman who accused BS Yediyurappa of child sexual abuse dies in Bengaluru