Union minister's son arrested in POCSO case hours after lookout notice
Hyderabad : Bandi Sanjay Kumar's son, Bageerath, has been arrested in a POCSO case involving allegations of sexual harassment, prompting a complex legal and political situation in Telangana.
Bandi Sanjay Kumar's son, Bageerath, has been arrested in connection with a Pocso case involving allegations of sexual harassment. A look-out circular was issued to prevent Bageerath from leaving the country before his arrest.
Bandi Sanjay Kumar stated his son presented himself for investigation through legal counsel. Bageerath has also filed a counter-complaint, alleging extortion and threats from the girl's family.
Telangana Rakshana Sena has requested the removal of Bandi Sanjay Kumar from the Union Cabinet to ensure an impartial investigation. Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar's son, Bageerath, was arrested on Saturday night in a Protection of Children Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act case registered against him.
"The accused has been arrested by police," a senior police official told PTI.
The Cyberabad police had earlier issued a look-out circular against Bageerath to prevent him from fleeing the country and conducted searches to nab him.
However, Bandi Sanjay said he had asked his son to appear before the police and join the probe.
'Satya Meva Jayate. With utmost respect for the law and judiciary, today my son Bandi Bageerath went before the Telangana Police through our advocates for investigation,' the union minister said in a post on X.
A day earlier, Bandi Sanjay had said he asked his son to cooperate with the police soon after the complaint was registered last week.
According to him, Bageerath, who has been repeatedly maintaining that he has done no wrongdoing, had presented evidence in his favour to his lawyers.
The lawyers opined that the case would be quashed and that Bageerath would get bail, which led to the delay, the minister had said.
The development came a day after the Telangana High Court refused to grant interim protection from arrest to Bageerath.
Dealing with an interim anticipatory bail petition of Bageerath on Friday night, the high court said it was not inclined to grant any interim order at this stage.
The counsel for Bageerath had requested interim protection from arrest until orders on the petition were issued.
The case was registered under relevant Sections of the BNS and POCSO Act on May 8 against Bageerath based on a complaint by the mother of a 17-year-old girl, who alleged that he was in a relationship with her daughter and sexually harassed her.
After recording the statement of the victim, more stringent sections of the POCSO Act were invoked in the case.
Bageerath had also lodged a counter-complaint, alleging that the girl, who got acquainted with him, had invited him to family functions and group gatherings.
A first information report (FIR) was registered based on his complaint.
In the complaint, Bageerath stated that, believing the girl's family to be trustworthy, he accompanied them on visits to certain holy places as part of a group of friends.
He further alleged that the girl and her parents later pressured him to marry her.
When he rejected the proposal, the girl's parents allegedly demanded money and threatened to file false complaints against him if he failed to pay.
Bageerath claimed that, out of fear, he paid Rs 50,000 to the girl's father, but the family later demanded Rs 5 crore.
He also alleged that they threatened that the girl's mother would commit suicide if he failed to meet their demands.
Meanwhile, Telangana Rakshana Sena (TRS) president K Kavitha, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanded the removal of Sanjay Kumar, MoS (Home), from the Union Cabinet 'to ensure a free and fair investigation in the POCSO case involving his son'.
