Supreme Court Stays Trial Against Former Karnataka CM BS Yeddyurappa in POCSO Case

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The Supreme Court has temporarily halted the trial against former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa in a case alleging the sexual assault of a minor girl last year. The 82-year-old politician, a four-time CM and senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), had petitioned the top court to stay the proceedings after the Karnataka High Court refused to quash the trial. A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant issued a notice to the state's Criminal Investigation Department, asking them to respond to the possibility of having the case reconsidered by the High Court by February 7, 2025. The trial proceedings will remain suspended until then. Yeddyurappa's lawyers argued that the High Court had previously set aside an order taking cognizance of the charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, directing the trial court to reconsider the matter. However, the High Court later dismissed the plea, citing an earlier order that had foreclosed the petitioner from challenging the merits of the case. Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing Yeddyurappa, described the case as 'frivolous' and claimed that the High Court had 'misconstrued' the February 7 order. Luthra also alleged that the complainant had a history of filing false complaints against public figures. The petition filed by Yeddyurappa alleged that he was being unfairly prosecuted and that the case was a result of 'clear political vendetta.' The complainant had accused Yeddyurappa of sexually assaulting her minor daughter during a visit to his residence in February 2024. However, the former CM had pointed out several inconsistencies in the case, including a delay in filing the complaint and the complainant's history of filing similar complaints against public figures. The charge sheet in the case was filed in July 2024, and the trial had been ongoing since then. The Supreme Court's stay on the trial proceedings will allow the Criminal Investigation Department to respond to the petition and potentially reconsider the case.