Karnataka High Court Postpones Hearing on Yediyurappa's POCSO Case

The Karnataka High Court has postponed the hearing of former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa’s petition to dismiss a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) case against him for one week. The case was filed a few months ago by the mother of a girl against the senior BJP leader. The BJP and BS Yediyurappa himself have denied the charges and have called them “politically motivated”.

Yediyurappa approached the High Court after the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) took over the investigation, seeking to prevent his arrest. In June, the court granted a stay on his arrest related to the POCSO case. A special court in Bengaluru had earlier issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for the former chief minister. The allegations against Yediyurappa emerged on March 14 when Bengaluru police registered a complaint under the POCSO Act based on claims made by the mother of a 17-year-old girl. The mother, who had brought forth the allegations, passed away in May due to lung cancer.

Yediyurappa has vehemently denied the accusations and has stated his intention to contest the charges legally. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has criticized the case, asserting it is politically motivated retribution for a previous case involving Rahul Gandhi, and accused the Karnataka Congress of attempting to damage Yediyurappa's reputation. In response to these accusations, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara stated that the BJP's claims lack logic. He noted that Yediyurappa is a prominent political figure, and assured that thorough checks would be conducted before any actions were taken against him.​