Bengaluru court summons ex-Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa in POCSO case

A special court in Bengaluru on Friday took fresh cognisance of a chargesheet against former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and three others in a case about the alleged sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl, Live Law reported. The court directed them to appear before it on March 15.

The case against Yediyurappa was registered on March 14 last year under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor girl. The girl is a rape survivor in an unrelated case from 2015.

The Criminal Investigation Department had filed a chargesheet against the BJP leader in the matter. The special court had first taken cognisance of the chargesheet on July 4.

Yediyurappa then moved the High Court to have the case against him quashed. On February 9, the High Court granted anticipatory bail to the Bharatiya Janata Party leader but refused to quash the case, sending it back to the trial court.

However, the High Court told the trial court to “pass appropriate orders afresh on the issue of taking cognisance of offences”, The Hindu reported. As per this directive, the special court again took cognisance of the chargesheet.

The 81-year-old BJP leader is accused of having sexually assaulted the minor on February 2, 2024, when she, along with her mother, met him to seek his help in...

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