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A special POCSO court in Malkajgiri, on Saturday, June 20, granted interim bail to Union minister of state (Home Affairs) Bandi Sanjay’s son Bandi Bhageerath for seven days. The bail comes over a month after the Petbasheerabad police station booked Bhageerath under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for allegedly sexually harassing a 17-year-old girl.
The bail was granted until June 26 to permit Bhageerath to appear for his engineering exams. The Cyberabad police had arrested Bhageerath on May 26.
Bhageerath was booked on May 8. He was charged for assault or criminal force against a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, sexual harassment, as well as POCSO Act sections which pertain to sexual harassment.
In her complaint, the girl’s mother alleged that a man named Sangappa set up a meeting with Union Minister Bandi Sanjay on April 23 where they faced intimidation.
The mother alleged that during the meeting, “in the disguise of counselling to my daughter and his son as a way forward, we were subjected to indirect pressure to compromise… The statements made during the meeting caused serious fear, intimidation, and apprehension,” the complaint read.
Following media coverage of the case, Bandi Sanjay has stood by his son and stated that he would submit to the 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. 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,” the minister had said.
