Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Wednesday, July 1, adjourned to July 3 the regular bail petition filed by Bandi Sai Bageerath, son of Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar, in connection with a case registered against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The court issued notice to the complainant and sought a response before the next hearing. Bageerath remains in judicial remand at Cherlapally Central Prison.
The bail petition was listed before Justice K Sujana. In his petition, Bageerath maintained his innocence and argued that the case against him was politically motivated, adding that he had fully cooperated with the investigation and sought regular bail.
Cyberabad Police, acting on a complaint filed by the mother of a 17-year-old girl alleging sexual harassment and assault, had arrested Bageerath through the Petbasheerabad police station in May, booking him under the POCSO Act and provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The High Court had earlier, in May, refused to grant Bandi Bageerath interim protection from arrest while his anticipatory bail plea was pending, with the court noting it would examine the matter strictly on legal grounds. He subsequently withdrew that anticipatory bail plea after being taken into custody, since it becomes legally redundant once an accused is arrested, and was granted liberty to pursue a regular bail application instead.
Bageerath was earlier granted a week’s interim bail by a Special POCSO Court in Malkajgiri on June 20 to allow him to appear for his BBA supplementary examinations at Mahindra University. He surrendered back at Cherlapally Central Prison on June 25 after the interim relief period ended, and has remained in judicial custody since.
