In a setback to Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar’s son, Bandi Bhageerath, the Telangana High Court on Friday refused to grant him interim protection from arrest in a case registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Hearing Bhageerath’s anticipatory bail plea late into the night, Justice T. Madhavi Devi said she was not inclined to pass any interim order at this stage.
“I have gone through the statement of the victim, though not in detail but cursorily, and at this stage I’m not inclined to grant any interim order,” the judge observed.
The court indicated that orders in the matter would be issued on the next vacation court day. Following this, counsel for the petitioner requested the court to consider passing final orders at the earliest.
The case stems from a complaint filed by the mother of a 17-year-old girl, alleging that Bhageerath was in a relationship with her daughter and had sexually harassed her. Based on the complaint, police registered an FIR against him on May 8 under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the POCSO Act.
During the hearing on Friday, Justice Devi expressed concern over what she described as a smear campaign on social media relating to the case, saying she was pained by the developments.
The court also asked counsel for the complainant whether he had any reservations about arguing the matter before the bench. The counsel replied that he had no such reservations and requested the court to proceed with the hearing.
Bhageerath's counsel argued that the court had inherent powers to grant interim bail pending final disposal of the anticipatory bail plea. The defence also pointed to the complainant’s statement, which allegedly said the girl and the accused had been in a relationship since 2025 and shared cordial relations.
Opposing any relief, counsel for the complainant argued that Bageerath’s father, Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar, was an influential political figure and that there was a possibility of evidence being tampered with if protection from arrest was granted.
Meanwhile, Bhageerath also filed a complaint with police in Karimnagar, alleging that the girl’s family attempted to extort Rs 5 crore by threatening to implicate him in a false case.
Bhageerath was served a notice by the police directing him to appear before the investigating officer on May 13. He did not appear but sent a letter to the investigating officer seeking two days’ time to appear.