Former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa. | Photo Credit: K. Bhagya Prakash
The First Fast Track Court (POCSO court) has issued an arrest warrant against former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa in a case registered against him on March 14 under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
The octogenarian is accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl who had come to him seeking his help, along with her mother, on February 2.
With the arrest warrant issued, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probing the case will now move to arrest the BJP leader.
CID teams have begun looking for him, sources said.
Mr. Yediyurappa is a member of the BJP Parliamentary Board and the Central Election Committee. According to the Travel Plan (TP) issued by his office, Mr. Yediyurappa is in New Delhi.
Following a writ petition by the victim in the case in the High Court of Karnataka questioning why the accused is yet to be arrested, the CID issued summons to the former chief minister to appear for questioning on June 12. Mr. Yediyurappa responded that he was in New Delhi and would appear for questioning on June 17. This prompted the CID to move an application seeking an arrest warrant against the former chief minister, in the Fast Track Court 1 in Bengaluru. The court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Mr. Yediyurappa on June 13 evening.
