What Is B. S. Yediyurappa’s Political Future?

Karnataka appears to be creating its own ‘brand’ when it comes to cases of sexual harassment and corruption, pertaining to VIPs. After the Hassan sex scandal case, involving Prajwal Revanna, the ex-Member of Parliament from Hassan, it is now the turn of former Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa.

Last week, a Special Court for cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) had issued a non bailable arrest warrant against the BJP leader in an alleged sexual harassment case involving a minor girl.

Karnataka's Home Minister, G. Parameshwara, had said that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) that is probing the case against Yediyurappa, has issued notice asking him to appear before it for questioning. Parameshwara added that Yediyurappa may be arrested if necessary.

Parameshwara had said that a “notice has been served procedurally and the charge-sheet has to be filed by June 15”. Before that the (CID) will file the charge-sheet. “It will have to follow the laid down procedures including recording of his statement while producing him in the court. These were procedural matters and the department would go by the book,” he added.

Yediyurappa, however, can heave a sigh of relief now, following the grant of conditional relief in the case by the Karnataka High Court on June 14. While directing the BJP leader to appear before the police on June 18 for questioning , Justice K. Dixit said that the octogenarian leader was “not a Tom, Dick or Harry to flee the country.” Accordingly, no coercive measures should be taken against him.

The girl’s mother had stated in her police complaint that she visited the BJP leader on February 2 to seek help in transferring an old sexual harassment probe to the Special Investigation Team(SIT). The woman alleged that Yediyurappa had heard them for a few minutes and “then took my daughter to a room and molested her.” She was scared to approach the police earlier, the woman added. The complaint was filed on March 14.

In her complaint the girl’s mother had accused Yediyurappa of sexually assaulting the 17-year-old girl.

Defending himself, Yediyurappa had then said that the woman must have come to see him about a month ago, like many other visitors. According to him, he had not paid much attention to her, “but when I was told that the mother and daughter were crying, I called them and asked what happened.”

Claiming that he had been wronged, Yediyurappa said that once he heard about their problem “he called the police commissioner, B. Dayanand, asking him to hear their complaint. But then she started talking against me there and then. I thought she was unwell and asked the police commissioner to investigate.”

Now the matter has escalated and a First Information Report (FIR) has been filed. “We will do what is legally required. I did not think helping someone would result in this. I had even given some money to them,” Yediyurappa claimed.

There was a sudden twist in the case when the 53-year-old complainant died in a city hospital on May 26 reportedly due to a “lung infection.” According to the police the deceased was suffering from lung cancer. The minor had accompanied her mother to the hospital after she complained of pain at home.

Meanwhile, activists from the Akhil Bharat Janwadi Mahila Sangatane (ABJM) who were helping the woman in pursuing her case, urged the authorities to conduct an autopsy. However, the police, citing the doctors, maintained that the woman died of natural causes .

The deceased was reportedly planning to meet her lawyer on May 27 regarding the case. Subsequently, the girl’s brother has petitioned the High Court seeking its intervention to expedite the probe.

In the meantime, Yediyurappa had filed two petitions before the court. In the first, he sought anticipatory bail, and prayed for quashing the case in the other. The court is expected to hear the case along with the two petitions filed by Yediyurappa.

Incidentally, Yediyurappa is learnt to be in Delhi where he had gone earlier this month and was staying with his son, B. Raghavendra, a BJP MP. Police officials here, had claimed that the octogenarian’s arrest was imminent as the non bailable warrant had already been issued by the Additional City Civil and Sessions and Fast Track Special Court.

Meanwhile, police had earlier claimed that in the past the deceased woman was known to have filed 52 cases against influential figures. Local papers had quoted police sources who asserted that the woman used to meet political leaders and senior officials ,take photos and videos with them and later file complaints against them.

Some of the leaders against whom complaints were filed included Bhaskar Rao and Alok Kumar, two former police commissioners, in addition to Congress leader, V. S. Ugrappa. In fact, the Mumbai based ‘Free Press Journal’, on March 17 this year had reported that the woman had also complained against her husband, neighbours and the managing committee of her apartment at the Police Commissioner’s office.

Referring to the complaint against the Congress leader, the FPJ report noted that it was filed on June 27, 2020. She had met him to complain against her husband who had apparently assaulted her. Quoting Ugrappa, the news report stated that the woman had refused to produce any evidence. “We wanted her to come with some evidence to prove her claims. Later ,she filed a case with the city police against me,” Ugrappa was quoted as saying.

The news report also referred to the woman’s complaint against the former Police Commissioner, Bhaskar Rao, which was filed on January 18, 2022. She had filed a sexual assault case against the officer, accusing him of “trying to finish her”.

Angry over the development relating to Yediyurappa, the BJP and its alliance partner, Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), charged the Congress with indulging in vendetta politics following its poor show in the just concluded Lok Sabha polls. Parameshwara, however, was quick to assert that the police were following set procedures and that there was question of any politics.

The state Home Minister has said that there was no political angle to the events. “We do not know the woman. She had gone to the police with her complaint and it, accordingly, registered her complaint,” he said.

However, JD-S leader H. D. Kumaraswamy, the newly appointed Union minister for Heavy Industries, charged that after trying to destroy the Deve Gowda family, the Congress was conspiring against Yediyurappa by foisting a POCSO case against him.

The Congress finds itself in an embarrassing situation as it is being questioned over the delay in moving immediately after the complaint against Yediyurappa was filed in March. Especially, as the POCSO Act provides for speedy justice against victims of sexual offences.

Not surprisingly, the ruling party is being accused of deliberately delaying action; the argument being that because of the ensuing Lok Sabha polls, it was playing safe. According to its critics,it did not want to annoy the Lingayat vote bank by asking the police to move fast against Yediyurappa, the strongman of the community.

If this was not enough, the government is also facing flak for going soft over a recent murder case allegedly involving Sandalwood star, Darshan, and his girlfriend, Pavithra, if only to shield the accused.