The Telangana High Court refused to grant interim protection from arrest to Bandi Sai Bageerath, the son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, booked in a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
After a late-night hearing, a vacation Bench of Justice T Madhavi Devi reserved its order on Bageerath’s anticipatory bail plea, Bar and Bench reported.
However, the Court declined to grant Bageerath protection from arrest until the verdict is pronounced, despite strong appeals made by his counsel.
“I don’t think I should be granting any interim order at this stage… I have gone through statement of the victim and after going through that, at this stage, I am not inclined to grant any interim order,” the judge said.
The Court commenced hearing on the matter at around 9 PM, and as proceedings concluded after 11:30 PM, the judge observed that although she had planned to pass orders in the matter today, but would require time to consider the detailed arguments presented by the counsel.
“I thought of passing of order today but with so much material…,” said Justice Devi.
Bageerath was booked on May 8 under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the POCSO Act. Following the recording of the victim’s statement before a magistrate, he was also booked for aggravated sexual assault under Section 5 of the POCSO Act. It is alleged that Bageerath had been in a relationship with the victim since June 2025.
On Thursday, the Court was informed that he had allegedly sexually assaulted the victim at least four times between October and December 2025. Senior Advocate S Niranjan Reddy, appearing for the Bageerath, rejected the allegations.
He raised doubts over whether the alleged victim was a minor and whether the POCSO case was legally sustainable.
During today’s hearing, Reddy reiterated that the accused and the victim had been in a consensual relationship. He further submitted that the victim experienced emotional distress after Bageerath ended the relationship.
Reddy also argued that the allegations of penetrative sexual assault were not included in the initial police complaint and were added later to frame Bageerath in a false case.
He also urged the Court to grant Bageerath protection from arrest. “Anticipatory bail is not allowing someone to go scot free…I am fully willing to subject myself to investigation. This is a false case,” he said
The Public Prosecutor (PP) opposed the anticipatory bail plea. During the course of arguments, the Court observed that it is not disputed that there was a relationship in the past between Bhageerath and the victim.
