In a relief to former Karnataka Chief Minister and BJP Central Parliamentary Committee member B.S. Yediyurappa, the Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the trial proceedings pending before a Fast Track Court in connection with a POCSO case registered against him.
A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was hearing Yediyurappa's special leave petition (SLP) challenging the Karnataka High Court's November 13 order, which had upheld the trial court's cognisance of the charge sheet under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and directed him to appear for trial.
Issuing notice to the state government and the complainant, the CJI Kant-led clarified that it was limiting the notice to the issue of whether the matter ought to be remanded back to the Karnataka High Court. The apex court noted submissions that certain observations in the Karnataka HC's ruling did not align with its earlier directions and arose from a misunderstanding of the previous round of litigation.
Senior advocates Siddharth Luthra and Siddharth Dave, appearing for Yediyurappa, submitted that "crucial statements were suppressed by the prosecution", and despite several inconsistencies, the trial court had proceeded mechanically.
Urging the apex court to intervene to prevent a miscarriage of justice, Luthra highlighted, "Yediyurappa has served four terms as Chief Minister."
Yediyurappa is the main accused in the case, in which a 17-year-old girl has alleged that he sexually harassed her at his Bengaluru residence on February 2, 2024, when she and her mother had gone to seek his help regarding an earlier assault.
The charge sheet alleged he took the girl into a room, held her by the wrist, and molested her before she managed to resist and escape.
Yediyurappa has consistently denied the allegations. He had stated earlier that he had merely attempted to assist a distressed mother-daughter duo he found near his residence, even contacting the then Bengaluru Police Commissioner to help them.
"If we come forward to help, these are the consequences to be faced. I will face everything," he had said.
After completing the investigation, the prosecution filed a charge sheet against Yediyurappa and three others for committing offences under the POCSO Act and various sections of the IPC, including Section 354A (sexual harassment), Section 204 (destruction of a document or electronic record), and Section 214 (offering a bribe to conceal an offence).
(With inputs from IANS)
