Bhageerath, the son of Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar, has moved the Telangana High Court seeking anticipatory bail following the registration of a criminal case against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The legal maneuver, initiated on Tuesday, includes a second petition seeking to quash the FIR registered against him. While the court has accepted the filings, a specific date for the hearings is expected to be announced shortly.
The case traces back to May 8, when a complaint was lodged at the Pet Basheerabad police station by the mother of a 17-year-old girl. The complainant alleged that Bhageerath had been in a relationship with her daughter for the past seven to eight months and accused him of sexual harassment.
In his defense, Bhageerath has denied all charges. He has countered the allegations by claiming he is a victim of extortion and criminal intimidation carried out by the teenager and her parents.
The case has drawn significant attention from the state government. On Monday, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy directed Director General of Police (DGP) C V Anand to constitute special teams to ensure a thorough and intensified investigation into the POCSO charges.
Supervision of the probe has been assigned to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Kukatpally Zone) Ritiraj. Following a visit to the Pet Basheerabad police station on Monday to review progress with the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and the Station House Officer (SHO), DCP Ritiraj confirmed that a strategic plan of action is now in place.
“A plan of action has been chalked out and will be implemented accordingly,” the DCP stated. She further noted that while the victim’s initial statement has been documented, investigators intend to record it again to capture additional necessary information.
The investigation remains ongoing as the High Court prepares to hear the petitions regarding bail and the potential quashing of the case.
