Telangana HC grants bail to Bandi Bageerath in POCSO case
The court granted bail on a ₹1 lakh surety, subject to specific conditions imposed by the Telangana High Court.
- Telangana High Court granted bail to 25-year-old Bandi Bageerath on two sureties of Rs 1 lakh; ordered not to interfere with investigation or influence witnesses.
- Public Prosecutor opposed bail citing risk of witness tampering; police said chargesheet will be filed.
- Case registered on May 8 under BNS sections for assault and sexual harassment and POCSO sections 11 and 12; investigators say victim is 17.
- Accused alleges political vendetta and claims consensual relationship, extortion attempts by victim’s family; surrendered May 16 and had interim bail in June for exams.
Hyderabad — The Telangana High Court on Thursday granted bail to 25-year-old Bandi Bageerath in a case registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, setting sureties of Rs 1 lakh and imposing conditions intended to protect the integrity of the investigation. The court specifically ordered that he must not interfere with the probe or attempt to influence witnesses as the case proceeds toward charges.
The hearing reflected the sharp tensions that surround the matter: prosecutors urged caution, warning the court that release might enable witness tampering, while defence lawyers pressed for relief on the grounds that Bageerath had spent more than 40 days in judicial custody. Public Prosecutor Palle Nageshwara Rao emphasized those risks and noted that the police were preparing to file a chargesheet. The petitioner’s counsel countered that prolonged custody without a concluded process weighed in favour of bail.
The allegations are serious and politically sensitive because Bageerath is the son of Union Minister and former Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar. The case originated from a complaint filed by the survivor’s mother on May 8 at Pet Basheerabad Police Station. Police registered offences under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to assault and sexual harassment, along with sections 11 and 12 of the POCSO Act, which deal with acts committed with sexual intent and sexual harassment of a child.
According to police submissions during the course of investigations, the accused allegedly struck up a relationship with the girl, emotionally manipulated her and sexually abused her repeatedly since 2025, at multiple locations including Sriram Gardens and Golf Edge Apartments in the Nanakramguda area. Investigators say educational records corroborate the survivor’s age as 17. Those findings formed part of the evidence the prosecution relied on when opposing bail.
Bageerath has consistently denied the allegations, describing them as part of a political vendetta against his father. In a complaint he filed at the Two Town Police Station in Karimnagar, he asserted that he and the girl had a consensual relationship, that her parents pressured him to marry her, and that they later threatened to lodge criminal complaints when he refused. He alleged extortion attempts, saying he paid Rs 50,000 once and that demands later escalated to an alleged Rs 5 crore, with claims the mother threatened self-harm. He also disputed the girl’s age.
Bageerath surrendered to police on May 16 and was remanded to Cherlapally Central Jail. He obtained interim bail in June from a Special POCSO Court to sit for BBA supplementary exams at Mahindra University, and later returned to custody. His legal team continued to seek regular bail, which the High Court has now granted subject to the conditions imposed.
The court’s order attempts to balance two competing imperatives: safeguarding the rights of an accused who has been detained for an extended period, and ensuring that a sensitive investigation involving a minor proceeds without undue influence. Prosecutors, meanwhile, signalled their intention to complete the chargesheet and pursue the case through trial.
The case is likely to attract continued public and media attention because of the political connections involved and the grave nature of the allegations. For now, Bageerath remains out on bail under strict conditions while the criminal process continues.