 "B S Yediyurappa")
The Karnataka High Court on Friday granted interim protection from arrest to former Karnataka Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader BS Yediyurappa in connection with a sexual harassment case till June 17, when the court will resume hearings.
Justice S Krishna Dixit, questioning the necessity for immediate arrest, said, "He is not some Tom, Dick or Harry to flee."
This decision follows a non-bailable arrest warrant issued against Yediyurappa by a Bengaluru court in a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act case involving the alleged molestation of a minor girl.
"He is not some Tom, Dick or Harry. He is a former Chief Minister of State. Is it your case he will flee the country? What can he do by leaving for Delhi from Bangalore," the court was quoted as saying by Bar and Bench.
The case, filed against the 81-year-old leader by the mother of a 17-year-old girl, alleges misconduct during a meeting at his residence in Dollars Colony, Bengaluru, on February 2 this year.
Yediyurappa moved the high court seeking to quash the complaint, which is under investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The probe team had asked Yediyurappa to appear before them.
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Upon assurance from Yediyurappa's counsel that he would cooperate with the probe team on June 17, the high court directed him to comply, halting any arrest or detention until the next hearing. Reports suggested Yediyurappa had gone to an “undisclosed” location in New Delhi.
"We cannot immediately jump to the conclusion that a case is made for arrest and detention for custodial interrogation of the petitioner who has been former chief minister of State and is of advanced age and has ailments natural to that age," the court said in its order.
The complaint against Yediyurappa was lodged in March 2024. However, pointing to purported police inactivity, the victim's brother petitioned the court earlier this week, seeking Yediyurappa's immediate arrest and interrogation. The victim's mother, aged 54, who initially made the accusation, passed away last month at a local private hospital following complications from lung cancer.
Yediyurappa, on the other hand, has consistently denied the allegations, affirming his intent to contest the case legally. The BJP has alleged "vendetta politics," and said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had a hand in instructing Yediyurappa's arrest, a claim refuted by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar.
