The Telangana High Court has rejected Bandi Bhageerath’s plea for interim protection from arrest in a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. The court, after a late-night hearing, declined to grant interim relief to Bhageerath, the son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar. Justice T. Madhavi Devi indicated that she would not issue any interim orders following a review of the victim’s statement.
The court session, lasting over five hours, saw arguments on Bhageerath’s bail plea. The judge mentioned the possibility of issuing orders in the upcoming week. The victim’s counsel submitted her Class 10 memorandum to address doubts raised by the accused’s lawyer regarding her age. Bhageerath faces allegations of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl at a farmhouse in Moinabad, leading to the registration of a case under the relevant laws.
The police, acting on the victim’s complaint, invoked stricter provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act after Deputy Commissioner of Police Ritiraj interacted with the victim. Bhageerath was served a notice to appear before the investigating officer, but he requested a two-day extension. In a separate development, the City Civil Court ordered the removal of defamatory content against Bandi Sanjay Kumar from various media platforms concerning the case involving his son.
