Union Minister's son sent to 14-day judicial custody in POCSO case

Bhageerath's arrested happened a day after the Telangana High Court refused to grant him interim protection from arrest in the case.

Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar's son Bandi Bhageerath was sent to 14 days judicial custody by a Magistrate in a POCSO case.

Bhageerath, who was arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Saturday night, was produced before a Magistrate at his residence at Medchal around midnight.

The Magistrate remanded Bhageerath to judicial custody till May 29. The accused was later transferred to the Cherlapalli Jail.

The SIT arrested the accused Bhageerath at APPA junction in Narsingi

Also Read | Telangana HC refuses interim protection from arrest to Union Minister's son in POCSO case

Police said Bhageerath was taken to the Pet Basheerabad Police Station, where a case had been registered against him on May 8 over allegations of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl.

He was questioned by the SIT for nearly two hours before being taken to a government hospital for a medical examination and later produced before a Magistrate.

Earlier, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay posted on social media platform X that Bhageerath was not arrested but he himself appeared before the police for questioning.

"Bhageerath went to Pet Basheerabad Police Station in the presence of two lawyers," MoS Bandi Sanjay said, who posted a picture of his son flanked by two men.

Also Read | Bandi Bhageerath's POCSO case: Police, Union Minister spar over high-profile arrest

In a separate post on X, MoS Bandi Sanjay said that his son appeared before the police.

"With utmost respect for the law and judiciary, today my son Bandi Bhageerath went before the Telangana Police through our advocates for investigation. I have said this before too: whether it is my own son or a common citizen, everyone is equal before the law. My son has consistently maintained that he has committed no mistake," the MoS added.

"After consulting legal experts and placing before them the evidence available with us, we were advised that the matter would be addressed appropriately through the legal process. At the same time, I believe in fully cooperating with the investigation and respecting the judicial system. Even though court proceedings are underway and orders are expected next week, and despite advice from our legal team, I felt there should be no hesitation from our side in cooperating with the inquiry. I have complete faith in the justice system. Justice may be delayed, but not denied," Bandi Sanjay said.

The arrest came just a day after the Telangana High Court refused to grant Bhageerath an interim protection from arrest in the case.

The single-judge vacation bench heard arguments on the petition until around midnight on Saturday and declined to grant interim protection from arrest to the accused.

After hearing arguments on Bhageerath’s interim bail plea for nearly five-and-a-half hours, the judge said the order in the matter could be delivered next week.

A case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was registered against Bhageerath over allegations of sexually assaulting a minor girl.

A case was registered under Sections 11 and 12 of the POCSO Act, along with Sections 74 and 75 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The accused also filed a counter-complaint in Karimnagar, alleging that the girl’s family tried to extort Rs 5 crore by threatening to falsely implicate him in the case.