The Karnataka government on Friday, March 15 handed over the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) case against former chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa to the special wing of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
According to sources, the victim was sent for a medical test and her statement will be recorded shortly. The mother of a minor girl had filed a case of sexual harassment against Yediyurappa in Sadashivanagar police station in Bengaluru.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara said that he learned that the complainant is mentally unstable, adding "the case will be handled sensitively".
Yediyurappa has said he is ready to face the law.
The senior BJP leader also said he wouldn't say that the development is politically motivated "at this stage".
Responding to the allegations, he said, “I had seen the mother and daughter multiple times near my house but had not spoken to them until I saw them crying. I asked them to come inside and asked what had happened.”
He said that the woman told him that she had faced injustice. “So I spoke to the cops for her. I called Commissioner Dayanand saying that they had faced injustice and asked him to look into the case. Then the women started talking (ill) about me (right then). The Commissioner has tried to understand what has happened... Now it's been taken the wrong way and an FIR has been registered. I didn't expect this to happen,” he said.
Sadashivanagar police booked Yediyurappa under Section 8 (sexual assault) of POCSO and Section 354 A (assaults or uses criminal force to any woman) of the Indian Penal Code.
Asked whether he was alleging a political conspiracy, Yediyurappa said, "No, I am not saying that. A woman has complained and let us face it the way we are supposed to. The law will take its own course. We will do what we can. I tried helping her with her issue, I didn’t expect this at all.”
Meanwhile, former Karnataka law minister and BJP leader, J.C. Madhuswamy said: "When a Pocso case is lodged, it is left to the discretion of the police to make the arrest or not make the arrest of the accused. It is not compulsory to arrest. There will be a possibility of taking the accused into custody fearing destruction of evidence."