The Malkajgiri court on Tuesday granted three days of police custody of Bandi Bhageerath, son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, in connection with a POCSO case. The court issued the orders on a petition filed by the prosecution seeking custody for interrogation.
The Petbasheerabad police had initially requested a seven-day custody period to conduct a thorough investigation, but the court restricted it to three days. Consequently, the police will take Bhageerath into custody from the Cherlapalli Central Jail, where he is currently being held, to proceed with the questioning.
Earlier, Bhageerath’s defense counsel, Karuna Sagar, strongly opposed the police custody petition. He requested that if custody were granted, the interrogation should only take place between 10:00 AM and 5:30 PM. The lawyer also urged the court to mandate medical examinations before and after the daily questioning sessions and to direct the police to refrain from using any coercive or forceful methods during the interrogation.
The case dates back to May 8, when a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was registered against Bhageerath at the Petbasheerabad Police Station following allegations of sexual assault on a minor girl. The police added more stringent sections to the case after recording the victim’s official statement. Following the High Court’s refusal to grant interim protection, the police arrested Bhageerath on May 16, though Bandi Sanjay maintained that his son had voluntarily surrendered. The police stated that the arrest was executed after the accused confessed to the crime, following which the court had initially sent him to 14 days of judicial remand.
