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Bandi Sai Bhageerath, the son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay, was granted regular bail by the Telangana High Court, on Thursday, July 9, after being jailed for over 50 days in a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act case for allegedly sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl.
Advocate and BJP leader Karuna Sagar told the media that the HC passed an order allowing the bail petition, and directed to furnish surety of Rs 1 lakh, along with certain conditions. “The conditions and the grounds of bail would come out only when the order copy would be uploaded," he said.
On June 20, Bhageerath was granted interim bail for a week to appear for exams in his college, by a special POCSO court in Malkajgiri.
Bhageerath was arrested on May 16, over a week after an FIR was first registered against him on May 8, based on a complaint from the victim’s mother. He was initially charged with sexual harassment under the POCSO Act, with charges of aggravated sexual assault added subsequently.
Bhageerath remained absconding for eight days, while a petition for interim protection from arrest was filed on his behalf in the Telangana High Court. After the court declined to grant protection, he was arrested on May 16. While his father Bandi Sanjay claimed he surrendered on his own, the Telangana police and Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had insisted that they had intercepted his location and arrested him.
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader RS Praveen Kumar, who has been demanding justice for the victim and criticised the Congress government’s handling of the case, said it was distressing that Bhageerath was granted bail but the court’s verdict must be respected. He blamed the Congress government, alleging that they did not provide adequate legal support for the complainant.