Bandi Sanjay Kumar’s son Bandi Bageerath has been booked under the POCSO Act, with Cyberabad police issuing a look-out circular to prevent him from leaving the country.
The Telangana High Court declined to grant Bageerath interim protection from arrest in the case involving allegations of sexual harassment of a minor.
K Kavitha demanded Sanjay Kumar’s removal from the Union Cabinet, while Bageerath filed a counter-complaint alleging extortion and coercion by the girl’s family.
Cyberabad Police Issue LOC Against Union Minister Bandi Sanjay’s Son In POCSO Case
Telangana HC refuses interim protection from arrest; searches underway to trace Bandi Bageerath
Summary
The Cyberabad police have issued a look-out circular against Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar's son Bandi Bageerath, who has been booked under the POCSO Act, to prevent him from fleeing the country.
Searches are being carried out to apprehend Bageerath, a police officer told PTI on Saturday.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, K Kavitha, the president of the Telangana Rakshana Sena (TRS), called for Sanjay Kumar, the Minister of State (Home), to be removed from the Union Cabinet "to ensure a free and fair investigation in the POCSO case involving his son".
The Telangana High Court denied Bageerath any temporary protection from arrest on Friday night, which was a setback for him.
The court stated that it was not inclined to grant any temporary order at this time in response to Bageerath's request for interim anticipatory bail.
Bageerath's attorney had asked for temporary protection from arrest pending the issuance of the petition's orders.
The case was registered under relevant Sections of the BNS and POCSO Act on May 8 against Bageerath based on a complaint by the mother of a 17-year-old girl, who alleged that Bageerath was in a relationship with her daughter and sexually harassed her.
After recording the statement of the victim, more stringent sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act were invoked in the case.
Bageerath had also lodged a counter-complaint, alleging that the girl, who got acquainted with him, had invited him to family functions and group gatherings. Based on Bageerath's complaint, a formal complaint was filed.
In the 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 claimed that he was eventually coerced into marrying her by the girl and her parents. The girl's parents allegedly demanded money from him after he turned down the proposal and threatened to file false complaints if he didn't pay.
Bageerath claimed that, out of fear, he paid Rs 50,000 to the girl's father, but the family later demanded Rs 5 crore. He also alleged that they threatened that the girl's mother would commit suicide if he failed to meet their demands.
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