Former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa faces serious allegations after an FIR was lodged against him for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor girl. The case, registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO) and section 354 (A) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), was filed at Sadashivanagar police station in Bengaluru during the early hours of Friday, ANI reported.
According to reports, the mother of a 17-year-old girl filed the complaint, alleging sexual misconduct by the senior BJP leader during an official meeting on February 2. In response, the police initiated legal proceedings against Yediyurappa under section 8 of POCSO for sexual assault and section 354 (A) for sexual harassment, India Today reported citing sources.
According to India Today, the complainant in the case has filed 53 cases (unrelated to the former Karnataka Chief Minister) to date. Yediyurappa's office released a list of cases the complainant has filed in the past for various reasons, implying she has a habit of registering cases.
According to the report, the complainant has filed numerous complaints against well-known troublemakers since 2015. In 2015, she reported a sexual assault involving her daughter against a relative of the complainant's husband at Bengaluru's Electronic City police station.
As of now, Yediyurappa has refrained from issuing any public statement regarding the allegations.
Yediyurappa served as the Chief Minister of Karnataka between 2008 and 2011, briefly in May 2018, and again from July 2019 to 2021.
His resignation in 2021 followed weeks of speculation and uncertainty. During the announcement, Yediyurappa visibly emotional, mentioned the loss of faith among the people of the state in the government.
BS Yediyurappa was succeeded by Basavaraj Somappa Bommai from the BJP, who served as the 23rd Chief Minister of Karnataka from July 2021 to May 2023. The BJP has nominated Bommai as its candidate from the Haveri constituency for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.