Former Karnataka CM B.S. Yediyurappa has been accused of inappropriately touching a teenager who, along with her mother, visited his residence last year to seek help in a previous sexual assault case.
Bengaluru: A special court in Bengaluru has once again taken cognisance of a chargesheet filed by the Karnataka CID police against former Karnataka Chief Minister and senior BJP leader B S Yediyurappa in a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act case. The case was registered in March 2024.
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The special court, which handles POCSO cases, issued a detailed order explaining why it accepted the chargesheet. The court also issued fresh summons for Yediyurappa, who is 82 years old, and three other accused to appear before it on March 15, 2025.
A senior advocate stated, “The court hearing POCSO cases passed a detailed order citing reasons for taking the chargesheet on record and also issued fresh summons for Yediyurappa, 82, and three other accused to appear before it on March 15.”
This decision marks the beginning of the trial, which will proceed after Yediyurappa appears in court.
Earlier, on February 24, 2025, the special court had set aside its earlier decision to take cognizance of the chargesheet. This was based on directions from the Karnataka High Court, which found that an earlier order dated July 4, 2024, lacked proper reasoning.
The Karnataka High Court had referred the case back to the special POCSO court on February 7, 2025, and also granted protection from arrest to Yediyurappa. The court took into account his age and position as a former Chief Minister while granting this relief.
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Background
The case dates back to March 2024, when a woman accused Yediyurappa of inappropriately touching her teenage daughter. The alleged incident took place in February 2024, when the woman and her daughter visited Yediyurappa’s house seeking help regarding another case of sexual assault.
Based on the woman’s complaint, the Bengaluru police registered an FIR against Yediyurappa on March 14, 2024.
The CID unit of the Karnataka police filed a chargesheet on June 27, 2024, against Yediyurappa and three others. The charges include:
- Section 8 of the POCSO Act (sexual assault)
- Section 354A of the Indian Penal Code (sexual harassment)
- Section 204 of IPC (destroying evidence)
- Section 214 of IPC (offering gifts to silence the victim)
The special POCSO court initially took cognisance of the chargesheet on July 4, 2024, and issued a summons for Yediyurappa and others to appear in court. However, Yediyurappa approached the Karnataka High Court seeking to quash the chargesheet.
Even though the High Court did not issue a stay on the proceedings, the trial in the special court remained stayed from July 4, 2024, due to the legal challenge raised by Yediyurappa.
