Karnataka High Court on Friday during a hearing in the POCSO case involving BS Yediyurappa has directed the police not to arrest the ex-CM and asked him to cooperate in the probe.

The court directed the veteran BJP leader to appear before CID, which is probing the case, on June 17.

A Bengaluru court on Thursday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Yediyurappa in the case registered against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on March 14 this year.

The Special Investigation Team of the CID had moved the First Fast Track Court seeking an arrest warrant against him since he failed to appear for questioning on Wednesday.

Yediyurappa had sought time to join the probe.

According to reports, the veteran BJP leader has gone to an “undisclosed” location in New Delhi.

According to police, Yediyurappa has been booked under the 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 molested her daughter during a meeting on February two this year, at his residence in Dollars Colony in Bengaluru.