No court relief, then LOC, arrest: What's the sexual assault case against Union minister's son Bandi Sai Bhageerath

BAndi Sai Bhageerath, the boy of a unification government minister, was arrested on sun in Narsingi, a planet town in Telangana's Hyderabad, in connection with a case filed against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, police said.The Union minister said his son had surrendered before the Telangana police. “I have handed over my son, Sai Bhageerath, to the police for investigation through advocates in connection with the allegations levelled against him,” he said. What’s the case? A look at the allegations against BhageerathThe case was filed on May 8 under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the POCSO Act, based on a complaint submitted by the mother of a 17-year-old girl. She alleged that Bhageerath was in a relationship with her daughter and had sexually harassed her.According to the mother's complaint, he began a relationship with her daughter in June 2025 after making false promises of marriage. She claimed he subjected the girl to inappropriate physical acts and pressured her to drink alcohol between October 2025 and January 2026, news agency ANI reported.As per the FIR, after the relationship ended on January 7, the girl allegedly tried to harm herself twice later that month, the report said.Bhageerath had sought immediate protection from arrest, which was later denied by the Telangana high court.During proceedings in the court, senior advocate Pappu Nageshwar Rao, appearing for the girl, alleged that Bhageerath's father was using his influence to affect the investigation. He also said efforts had been made through a person identified as Sangappa to settle the matter, HT reported earlier.Rao also alleged that four other girls had faced harassment and that they would come forward later.After recording the statement of the survivor, more stringent sections of the POCSO Act were invoked in the case.Bhageerath’s allegations against the family of the minorThe alleged accused had filed a complaint in Karimnagar, claiming that the girl, who had become acquainted with him, had invited him to family events and group outings. Based on his complaint, police filed an FIR.In his complaint, he said he considered the girl's family trustworthy and travelled with them and a group of friends to certain religious places.He also alleged that the girl and her parents later pressured him to marry her. After he refused, he claimed her parents demanded money and threatened to file false complaints if he did not pay, news agency PTI reported.Bhageerath said he paid ₹50,000 to the girl's father out of fear, but later the family allegedly asked for ₹5 crore. He also claimed they threatened that the girl's mother would take her own life if he failed to meet their demands, as per the report.Senior advocate S Niranjan Reddy, appearing for Bhageerath, told the Telangana high court that a close reading of the complaint did not show allegations that amounted to penetrative sexual assault under the POCSO Act. He also argued that police later included the penetrative sexual assault section "with mala fide intent".Appearing for the state government and police, public prosecutor Palle Nageshwar Rao said investigators had collected detailed evidence. He said the seriousness of the claims became clear only after the survivor's statement was recorded, which led to the addition of the penetrative sexual assault charge under the POCSO Act.What the Union minister said on his son’s caseEarlier, the Union minister had said that his son should face the full force of the law if he is found guilty in the POCSO case.Speaking at the Hindu Ekta Yatra in Telangana's Karimnagar, he said, "If anyone commits a mistake, even if it is my son, everyone is equal before the law. If my son has done anything wrong, he will definitely face punishment. I do not want separate treatment for my son. Everyone is the same to me. The law favours no one and is equal for all in society. I am making this clear," he said.He also said that his son told him that he “done nothing wrong”. "He told me, 'We were together like friends and later separated'. I will come out of this',” said the minister.In a statement issued on Sunday, the Union minister said he had faith in the law and the judicial system. “I have said earlier as well that whether it is my son or an ordinary citizen, everyone is equal before the law. All of us must abide by the law,” he said.The minister said his son had maintained that he had done nothing wrong, HT reported earlier.He said that soon after the complaint was filed, he had first thought of taking Bhageerath directly to the police station. “However, after consulting legal counsel, the available evidence was presented before the lawyers, who reportedly expressed confidence that the case would be dismissed and that bail would be granted without difficulty,” he said.He said the delay in appearing before investigators happened because of legal consultations and added that the lawyers were still confident of getting bail.“However, I felt it was not right to delay any further. With respect for the law and the judicial system, I brought my son and handed him over to the police through lawyers for investigation,” he said.The Union minister also said court orders were expected on Monday, but he did not want the matter to be delayed any longer and therefore decided to send his son for investigation immediately. He said he had complete faith in the judiciary.With inputs from agencies