Telangana HC to decide on Bandi Sanjay’s son’s pre-arrest bail in POCSO case on Friday

The Telangana High Court will pass orders on Friday (May 15, 2026) on the pre-arrest bail petition filed by the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay’s son Sai Bageerath in the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act case registered against him. 

Besides, Justice T. Madhavi Devi of the High Court, after hearing contentions of counsels of the government and the petitioner on Thursday (May 14, 2026), posted after one week the hearing of criminal petition filed by Bageerath seeking anticipatory bail. The vacation court judge heard arguments of the senior counsel S. Niranjan Reddy who claimed that pre-arrest bail was not barred in POCSO cases. 

He said his client was ready to cooperate with the investigators and ready to present evidences to prove there were suspicions about the age of the ‘minor victim’ since her age was described as 15 years in a charge-sheet of under-age driving case involving her. When the judge sought to know how the petitioner was different and why he should be granted interim protection, the senior counsel said his client would be denied justice if it was proved subsequently that the victim was not minor. 

The Public Prosecutor for Home Palle Nageshwar Rao, referring to the altering of sections of law in the case, maintained that the complaint was received from the victim’s mother late on night of May 8. The sections of law were altered only after the investigators spoke with the victim in detail and recorded her statement. 

Initially, the Petbasheerabad police of Cyberabad Commissionerate invoked section 11 (sexual harassment) read with 12 (punishment for sexual harassment) of the POCSO Act against the accused. However, four days later the section of law was altered to 5 (l) read with 6 of the same Act.