POCSO case: Karnataka High Court grants exemption for a day to Yediyurappa from personal appearance before trial court
The Hindu
The High Court of Karnataka on Friday granted a day’s exemption to former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa from personally appearing before the trial court on July 15 in the proceedings of the criminal case in which a chargesheet has been filed against him for allegedly molesting a 17-year-old girl at this residence.
The High Court of Karnataka on Friday granted a day’s exemption to former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa from personally appearing before the trial court on July 15 in the proceedings of the criminal case in which a chargesheet has been filed against him for allegedly molesting a 17-year-old girl at this residence.
The court also granted a day’s exemption to the other three accused, Arun Y.M., 42, Rudresha Marulasiddaiah, 52, and Mariswamy G., 59, from personal appearance before the trial court on July 15.
Justice Krishna S. Dixit passed the order on the petitions filed by Mr. Yediyurappa and the three others questioning the legality of the chargesheet filed against them by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on June 27 and the legality of cognisance of offences taken against them by the trial court.
The exemptions were granted as the High Court has decided to hear their challenge to the chargesheet on July 26 after ordering the notice to the CID. The High Court also said that if the trial court was to conduct proceedings on the case prior to July 26, then again ithas to grant exemption from their personal appearance.
Mr. Yediyurappa has been charged with the offences under Section 8 (sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 354A (sexual harassment) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The other accused have been charge-sheeted for the offences under Sections 204 (destruction of document to prevent its production as evidence), 214 (offering gift or restoration of property in consideration of screening offender), and 37 (intentionally cooperating in the commission of offence) along with Mr. Yediyurappa.
It has been alleged that Mr. Yediyurappa sexually assaulted the victim when she went to his house in Bengaluru on February 2, 2024, along with her mother to seek certain help, and the victim’s mother lodged a complaint on March 14.