The Karnataka High Court granted anticipatory bail to former Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa in a POCSO case registered against him. The Bharatiya Janata Party leader is facing charges for allegedly sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl while she went to meet the leader along with her mother in February 2024.
Hearing Yediyurappa’s plea to quash the FIR against him in the case, High Court Justice M. Nagaprasanna granted anticipatory bail to the former chief minister. The bench had earlier granted interim protection from arrest for the leader in the case. Hearing the case, the bench ordered, “Petition is allowed in part. The order of taking cognizance stands obliterated. The crime and investigation and final report remain intact. Matter remitted back to the trial court. All contentions remain open,” Live Law reported.
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The BJP leader is accused of sexually molesting the teenager while she went to meet him along with her mother for a remedy in another issue. The victim’s mother in her complaint alleged visited Yediyurappa at his residence on February 2 and sought his help to resolve a cheating case related to business.
The complainant alleged that Yediyurappa listened to her problems for “nine minutes” and all through the conversation, Yediyurappa was holding her daughter’s hand. She also charged Yediyurappa later took the minor girl into a room and sexually harassed her by touching her inappropriately.