Bengaluru court issues non-bailable arrest warrant against former CM B S Yediyurappa in Pocso case

NEW DELHI: A Bengaluru court on Thursday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against former Karnataka chief minister B S Yediyurappa in a Pocso case.
Shortly after the development, the office of the senior BJP leader said the ex-CM has applied for anticipatory bail at a special court seeking prevention from arrest in the case. The court is set to hear the plea on Friday.
Reacting to the arrest warrant, the former CM refuted all allegations against him and said there was a political vendetta against him.
Yediyurappa has been booked under the Pocso Act and Section 354 A (Sexual harassment) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) based on a complaint by the mother of a 17-year-old girl who alleged that he sexually assaulted her daughter during a meeting in February this year, at his residence in Karnataka.

The 54-year-old woman, who had leveled the charge against Yediyurappa, died at a private hospital last month, due to lung cancer.
The 81-year-old Yediyurappa has denied the charge and said he would fight the case legally.


Earlier in the day, Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara said the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which is probing the case, has issued a notice asking him to appear before it for questioning, and he may be arrested if necessary.
"Notice has been served procedurally, the charge-sheet has to be filed by June 15. Before that they (CID) will file the charge-sheet. They will have to follow procedure for it. They will have to record his statement and produce him (in court), all these are procedures and the department will do it," he told reporters here.

In response to a question, Parameshwara said: "If necessary they will arrest. I can't say (if) it is necessary, CID has to say it. If they feel it is necessary, they will do it."
The BJP veteran, who is also a member of the party's parliamentary board, is presently in Delhi.
(This is a developing story)