CID issues notice to BJP leader Yediyurappa in POCSO case
Bengaluru (PTI): The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has issued a notice to senior BJP leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to appear before its probe team for an inquiry in connection with a POCSO case registered against him, police sources said on Wednesday.
Yediyurappa is presently in Delhi, and he is likely to join the probe after he returns, sources close to him said.
According to police, Yediyurappa has been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offence (POCSO) Act and Section 354 A (Sexual harassment) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) based on a complaint by the mother of a 17-year-old girl who alleged that he sexually assaulted her daughter during a meeting on February two this year.
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On March 14, hours after the Sadashivanagar police registered the case, the Karnataka Director General of Police Alok Mohan issued an order transferring it to the CID for further investigation with immediate effect.
The 54-year-old woman, who had leveled the charge against Yediyurappa, died at a private hospital here last month due to lung cancer.
The 81-year-old Yediyurappa has denied the charge and said he would fight the case legally.
"The CID had sent a notice yesterday asking him to appear today. However, since he is presently in Delhi, he has sought time. He will appear before the police after three days," a party source said.
The CID has already recorded the statement of the victim and her mother under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), police added.
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By-election result not a mandate for the government: Basavaraja Bommai
Bengaluru: The results of the by-elections in three constituencies do not represent a mandate for the state government, said MP Basavaraja Bommai, adding that ruling party MLAs are dissatisfied with the lack of development in the state.
Speaking to the media at the BJP office on Tuesday, he stated that by-elections typically favor the ruling government. "When we were in power, we won 13 out of 17 by-elections. The Congress should not assume that this is a verdict in their favor," he remarked.
Bommai emphasized that these results are confined to the constituencies where the by-elections were held. He also accused the state government of poorly implementing its guarantee schemes without adequate financial preparation, claiming that the schemes are being halted due to financial strain.
He alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's government has borrowed over ₹1 lakh crore, leading to difficulties in financial management. Bommai pointed out that the state government is yet to release over ₹2,000 crore to local bodies, including village panchayats, as recommended by the 15th Finance Commission.
"Anganwadi workers and contract workers are not receiving their salaries, and contractors are refusing to take up work due to non-release of funds, even after tenders have been floated," he added.
Responding to questions about internal dissent within the BJP, Bommai denied any significant issues, stating, "There is no dissent in the BJP. Everyone is committed to the party. There may be differing opinions on some matters, but I am confident that everything will be resolved within a month." He also noted that a motivated BJP team is actively working for the party.
