Telangana Police oppose bail plea of accused in POCSO case before High Court

Telangana Police opposed the regular bail plea of accused Bandi Sai Bhageerath in a POCSO case before the High Court, arguing that the allegations are serious, the victim is a minor, and granting bail could hamper the investigation and influence witnesses

By Legal Correspondent

Hyderabad: Telangana Police on Friday filed a counter-affidavit opposing a regular bail petition moved by accused Bandi Sai Bhageerath in a POCSO case pending before the Telangana High Court.

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The counter was submitted in Criminal Petition No. 9986/2026 by Inspector K Vijayvardhan of the Pet-Bashirabad Police Station. Police said they registered Crime No. 684/2026 at Pet-Bashirabad Police Station and initially invoked Sections 74 and 75 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 11 read with Section 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

According to the police complaint, the victim’s mother approached the police station and the child underwent a medical (vaginal) examination on May 9, 2026. Police said education records establish the victim’s age as 17 years. Given the nature of the allegations revealed by the medical report, investigators amended the charges by adding Section 5(l) read with Section 6 of the POCSO Act and Section 64(2)(m) of the BNS based on the evidence collected.

The police counter states that the accused, Bandi Sai Bhageerath, developed a relationship with the victim, influenced her emotionally and repeatedly sexually assaulted her from 2025 onwards. Investigators told the court that the alleged offences took place at multiple locations, including Sriram Gardens near the victim’s home and the Golf Edge apartments in Nanakramguda.

Police told the High Court that the allegations are grave and that the victim being a minor is a critical consideration. They said granting bail to the accused could hamper the ongoing investigation and potentially influence witnesses.

On this basis, the prosecution requested the court to reject the accused’s bail petition. The High Court will continue hearing the matter.