POCSO case against B.S. Yediyurappa: Karnataka High Court reserves order
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has reserved its judgment on a petition filed by former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa. The petition challenges a trial court's decision to take cognizance of a case filed against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, based on allegations of sexual assault against a minor.
On Thursday, a single-judge bench led by Justice M.I. Arun concluded the hearing after listening to extensive arguments from both sides and reserved its order. This was the second petition filed by Yediyurappa challenging the trial court's cognizance of the matter.
Senior advocate C.V. Nagesh, representing Yediyurappa, argued that the trial court took cognizance of the case based solely on the victim's statement without applying judicial mind. He contended that the trial court failed to follow the high court's earlier directive to reconsider the case afresh.
Arguing for the prosecution, Special Public Prosecutor Prof. Ravivarma Kumar claimed that an audio recording of a conversation between Yediyurappa and the victim's mother had been destroyed. He questioned why Yediyurappa would give ₹2 lakh to the victim if the recording did not exist. Kumar alleged that the co-accused, Arun, had snatched the mother's mobile phone and deleted the uploaded audio recording, but that the original audio still exists on the victim's phone.
Prof. Kumar further submitted that a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report has confirmed the voice in the recording is indeed Yediyurappa's. He stated that Yediyurappa allegedly took the victim to a private room and sexually assaulted her, after which she came out crying. He argued that the trial court had considered these points when taking cognizance of the case.
After hearing the arguments, the court reserved its order and orally stated that a factual clarification would be provided on Saturday.
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Ramadan fasting to kickoff from Thursday in Karnataka
Bengaluru: The Holy month of Ramadan will start from Thursday, February 19, announced convener of the State Moon Sighting Committee Maulana Maqsood Imran Rashadi on Wednesday.
Speaking at a press conference after the Moon Sighting Committee meeting held at the State Waqf Board office on Cunningham Road in the city on Wednesday evening, he said that there is no information about moon sighting anywhere in the capital Bengaluru, including other districts.
“However, after receiving reports of moon sightings in neighbouring states including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Delhi, it has been decided to start fasting from Thursday,” he said.
The meeting was attended by Maulana Mufti Iftikhar Ahmed Qasmi, Maulana Ejaz Ahmed Nadvi and other members of the ulema.
