Hyderabad, June 23 : A city court in Hyderabad has granted interim bail to Bandi Sai Bageerath, son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, in a case registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, allowing him to appear in his ongoing university examinations.
According to reports, the court permitted temporary bail till June 25, enabling Bageerath, who is presently lodged in judicial custody, to sit for his Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) examinations. He is scheduled to appear in three examinations during the bail period and will be taken back into custody upon completion of the exams.
The case was registered on May 8 following a complaint filed by the mother of a girl, alleging sexual assault. Acting on the complaint, police arrested Bageerath in mid-May, after which he was remanded to judicial custody and lodged at Cherlapally Central Prison. The investigation into the matter is currently underway.
Before his arrest, Bageerath had approached the Telangana High Court seeking protection from arrest. His legal counsel argued that there was ambiguity regarding the complainant’s age and contended that provisions of the POCSO Act might not be applicable. The defence further claimed that the relationship between the two individuals was consensual.
However, the prosecution and the complainant strongly opposed the plea, maintaining that the girl was a minor at the time of the alleged incident and that the accusations were of a serious nature.
After examining the material placed before it, the Telangana High Court declined to grant interim protection from arrest, observing that it was not inclined to interfere in the matter at that stage of the proceedings.
The case remains under investigation, and further legal proceedings are expected in the coming days. (KNC)
