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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India proposes preferential trade agreement with Mexico to deal with high tariffs
New Delhi (PTI): India has proposed a preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Mexico to help domestic exporters deal with the steep tariffs announced by the South American country, a top government official said on Monday.
Mexico has decided to impose steep import tariffs - ranging from about 5 per cent to as high as 50 per cent on a wide range of goods (about 1,463 tariff lines) from countries that do not have free trade agreements with Mexico, including India, China, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia.
Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said that India has engaged with the country on the issue.
"Technical level talks are on...The only fast way forward is to try to get a preferential trade agreement (PTA) because an FTA (free trade agreement) will take a lot of time. So we are trying to see what can be a good way forward," he told reporters here.
While in an FTA two trading partners either significantly reduce or eliminate import duties on maximum number of goods traded between them, in a PTA, duties are cut or removed on a limited number of products.
Trading partners of Mexico cannot file a compliant against the decision on imposing high tariffs as they are WTO (World Trade Organisation) compatible.
The duties are within their bound rates, he said, adding that their primary target was not India.
"We have proposed a PTA because its a WTO-compatible way forward... we can do a PTA and try to get concessions that are required for Indian supply chains and similarly offer them concessions where they have export interests in India," Agrawal said.
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Citing support for local production and correction of trade imbalances, Mexico has approved an increase in MFN (most favoured nation) import tariffs (5-50 per cent) with effect from January 1, 2026 on 1,455 tariff lines (or product categories) within the WTO framework, targeting non-FTA partners.
Preliminary estimates suggest that this affects India's around USD 2 billion exports to Mexico particularly -- automobile, two-wheelers, auto parts, textiles, iron and steel, plastics, leather and footwear.
The measure is also aimed at curbing Chinese imports.
India-Mexico merchandise trade totalled USD 8.74 billion in 2024, with exports USD 5.73 billion, imports USD 3.01 billion, and a trade surplus of USD 2.72 billion.
The government has been continuously and comprehensively assessing Mexico's tariff revisions since the issue emerged, engaging stakeholders, safeguarding the interests of Indian exporters, and pursuing constructive dialogue to ensure a stable trade environment benefiting businesses and consumers in both countries.
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Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) Director General Ajay Sahai has said that Mexico's decision is a matter of concern, particularly for sectors like automobiles and auto components, machinery, electrical and electronics, organic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and plastics.
"Such steep duties will erode our competitiveness and risk, disrupting supply chains that have taken years to develop," Sahai said, adding that this development also underlines the little urgency for India and Mexico to fast-track a comprehensive trade agreement.
Domestic auto component manufacturers will face enhanced cost pressures with Mexico hiking duties on Indian imports, according to industry body ACMA.
