Bengaluru, 12 July

Karnataka High Court on Friday adjourned to 26 July hearing on a petition filed by former chief minister BS Yediyurappa seeking quashing of a POCSO case against him, and exempted the veteran BJP leader from personally appearing before a Bengaluru court in connection with the matter on July 15.

The Fast Track Court 1 for POCSO Act cases here on 4 July issued summons to the 81-year-old to appear before it on 15 July.

Criminal Investigation Department, which is probing the case, on 27 June filed a charge-sheet against him at the Fast Track Court.

A day later, the High Court had extended its interim order restraining the CID from arresting Yediyurappa after allowing the prosecution to file objections to the petition filed by him seeking quashing of the FIR, and then adjourned further hearing by two weeks, which ended today.

The CID, probing charges against Yediyurappa of sexually assaulting a minor girl, has alleged in the chargesheet that he and three other accused paid money to the alleged victim and her mother to buy their silence.

Yediyurappa has been charged under Section 8 (punishment for sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Sections 354A (sexual harassment), 204 (destruction of document or electronic record to prevent its production as evidence) and 214 (offering gift or restoration of property in consideration of screening offender) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The other three co-accused -- Arun Y M, Rudresh M and G Mariswamy who are aides of Yediyurappa -- are charged under IPC Sections 204 and 214. -HC