Court posts custody petition in POCSO case against Bandi Sanjay’s son for orders on May 26

Hyderabad: A local court on Friday posted the petition filed by police seeking custody of the son of Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar in a POCSO case registered against him, for orders on May 26.

While the police sought Bageerath’s custody for three days, his counsel sought dismissal of the petition.

However, it was argued that if the petition is allowed, the police should follow the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court on the matter, Bageerath’s lawyer Karuna Sagar said.

The guidelines include conducting the interrogation between 10 am and 5 pm in the presence of his counsel and not resorting to any coercive steps or third-degree methods, he added.

Bageerath was arrested on the night of May 16 in a POCSO case registered against him and was later remanded to judicial custody by a magistrate.

Earlier, the Telangana High Court had refused to grant interim protection from arrest to Bageerath.

The case was registered on May 8 under relevant sections of the BNS and the POCSO Act 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 had sexually harassed her.

Bageerath had also lodged a counter-complaint, alleging that the girl, who had become acquainted with him, had invited him to family functions and group gatherings.

An FIR was registered based on his complaint.

In his 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.