Justice T. Madhavi Devi of the Telangana High Court on Thursday dismissed the criminal petition filed by Bandi Sai Bageerath, son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, seeking anticipatory bail in a case registered against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. 

The vacation bench judge dismissed the plea as the petitioner’s counsel filed an application to withdraw it stating the petition became infructuous since his client was already arrested by the police in the case. As the accused/petitioner was remanded in judicial custody for 14 days, the criminal petition, with an interlocutory application seeking pre-arrest bail, seeking anticipatory bail became infructuous. .

On May 8, a minor girl’s mother approached the Petbasheerabad police of Cyberabad Commissionerate in the State capital accusing the Union Minister’s son of making sexual advances towards her daughter and sexually harassing the minor. Based on this complaint, the police issued a First Information Report against Sai Bageerath invoking sections 74 (assault or use of criminal force on a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty) and 75 (sexual harassment) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). 

They also invoked sections 11 (sexual harassment) read with 12 (punishment for sexual harassment) of the POCSO Act against the Minister’s 23-year-old son. After recording the victim’s statement, the investigators altered the sections of law to 5 (l) read with the 6 of the POCSO Act. After a notice was issued to the maternal uncle of the accused, police received intimation from Bageerath that he would appear before them on May 15. 

However, he did not turn up before the investigators but filed a criminal petition in the HC seeking anticipatory bail. As part of the plea, he filed an IA seeking pre-arrest bail. The vacation bench of Justice Madhavi Devi heard the arguments in the case for two consecutive days on May 14 and 15 and reserved orders while declining to grant pre-arrest bail. 

Meanwhile, Sai Bageerath was arrested by the police near APPA junction on western outskirts of Hyderabad on the night of May 16. He was presented before the local magistrate concerned and remanded in judicial custody. Meanwhile, his counsel filed an application for withdrawal of the petition. The judge dismissed the plea as the counsel withdrew it on Thursday.