The Bench asked the Karnataka government to clarify whether Yediyurappa is entitled to have his petition heard by the high court.
Published Dec 02, 2025 | 1:08 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 02, 2025 | 1:08 PM
BS Yediyurappa. (File picture)
Synopsis: BS Yediyurappa moved the Supreme Court after the High Court of Karnataka refused to hear his petition.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday, 2 December, stayed the trial of former Karnataka Chief Minister and BJP leader in a case registered under the POCSO Act against him.
While staying the trial, a Bench of the court also asked the Karnataka government to clarify whether Yediyurappa was entitled to have his petition heard by the high court.
The High Court of Karnataka had declined to hear Yediyurappa’s petition.
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 (now deceased) of a 17-year-old girl who alleged that he molested her daughter during a meeting at his residence in Dollars Colony in Bengaluru.
The Sadashivanagar police had registered a case against him on 14 March 2024. The case was then transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for further investigation which re-registered the FIR and filed a chargesheet.
While a special court for cases filed under the POCSO Act had issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for the BJP leader in June 2024 after taking cognisance of the chargesheet, the Karnataka High Court had restrained the CID from arresting him after he expressed his willingness to appear for investigations.
After several rounds of litigation, a special court took fresh cognisance of the case on 28 February and summoned Yediyurappa to appear on 15 March. However, he challenged this again before the high court.
On 13 November, a single-judge bench of the court upheld the trial court’s cognisance of the chargesheet and said that the special court had followed due process.
The 54-year-old woman, who had levelled the charge against him, had also written to the state women’s commission in April 2024 alleging lapses in police investigation.
“… the CID is violating the stringent POCSO laws by not arresting the POCSO case accused, the powerful ex-CM BS Yediyurappa, and the sexual pervert is roaming freely,” she wrote in the letter. She later died at a private hospital in May 2024, due to lung cancer.
The BJP veteran, however, denied the charge, saying, “people would teach a lesson to those indulging in conspiracies against him.” Currently, Yediyurappa has protection against arrest in the form of anticipatory bail granted by the Karnataka High Court in February.
Following the petitioner woman’s death, her son has been representing her.
