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Hyderabad: The Cyberabad Police on Saturday, May 16, issued a lookout notice against Bandi Sai Bageerath, who is accused in a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) case, and formed five special teams to track him down.

The teams have been dispatched to Hyderabad, Karimnagar and Delhi in search of Bageerath, the son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar. A video circulating on social media showed Cyberabad Police conducting a raid on the Union Minister’s Hyderabad residence as part of the operation.

Bageerath has been absconding since being booked by the Pet Basheerabad Police under the POCSO Act on May 8.

Telangana HC defers bail hearing

The lookout notice comes a day after the Telangana High Court deferred the hearing of Bageerath’s interim bail plea by a week. On Friday, May 15, a single-judge bench led by Justice T Madhavi Devi declined to pass any orders before going through the extensive material submitted by both parties — particularly the victim’s statement. 

The bench indicated that an order would be pronounced at the earliest during the following week, either by May 18 or 21.

Social media smear campaign against judge

At the outset of Friday’s hearing, Justice Madhavi Devi asked those present in the courtroom how many of them were active on social media, before disclosing that a smear campaign had been launched against her and a family member, falsely alleging that she had been offered something in exchange for granting interim bail.

Senior counsel S Niranjan Reddy, who represents the defence, said the same fake news had been shared with him as well, but that he had chosen to ignore it. He noted this was a broader problem across the country and called for strict measures to prevent such attacks on the judiciary.

Defence counsel’s arguments

Arguing in favour of interim bail, Reddy contended that courts in India have previously granted bail in offences under Section 6 of the POCSO Act — which deals with penetrative assault — and that the judiciary has the inherent authority to do so. He cited several Supreme Court judgements in support and argued that at the bail stage, the court should not be constrained by the age of the victim.

Much of Reddy’s argument drew from the complaint filed by the victim’s mother at Pet Basheerabad Police Station on May 8. Referring to it, he outlined four alleged incidents since the relationship between his client and the minor began in June 2025 — one in October or November 2025 in the basement of the victim’s house, another on October 25 at Golf View Resorts, a third on November 13 at a farmhouse in Moinabad, and a final one on December 31, 2025 at Ananya Farms, also in Moinabad.

‘Cordial relations’ between accused and victim

Reddy presented chat message exchanges between the two, which he said showed them sharing “cordial relations” in the hours immediately before and after each of the alleged incidents. He further argued that in some instances, the minor had actively chosen the destinations herself — including purchasing film tickets that she had shared with his client.

Bandi Bageerath POCSO case

A POCSO case was registered against Bandi Bageerath at the Pet Basheerabad Police Station on May 8, following allegations made by the family of a 17-year-old girl.

According to the complainant, Bageerath made the victim consume alcohol and sexually assaulted her at a farmhouse on the outskirts of Hyderabad on two separate occasions.

Meanwhile, Bageerath filed a counter-complaint with police in Karimnagar alleging extortion and intimidation by the girl and her parents.

He said the girl became acquainted with him and invited him to family functions and group gatherings.

Bhageerath alleged that the girl’s family later pressured him to marry her and demanded money after he refused. He claimed that he paid Rs 50,000 to the girl’s father out of fear, but the family later demanded Rs 5 crore and threatened to file false complaints if he failed to comply.

Following Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s orders, a Special Investigation Team was constituted and Kukatpally Deputy Commissioner of Police Ritiraj was deputed to head it.

Kavitha writes to PM Modi seeks removal of Bandi Sanjay

Meanwhile, the Telangana Rakshana Sena (TRS) president K Kavitha on Saturday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the removal of Bandi Sanjay Kumar from the Union council of ministers amid the POCSO case investigation against Kumar’s son to ensure a fair investigation into the case.

“I am writing to you to draw your urgent attention to a matter of significant institutional propriety, legal ethics, and public trust concerning the composition of the Union Council of Ministers,” K Kavitha stated in her letter to Prime Minister Modi.

She argued that Bandi Sanjay Kumar’s continuation in a highly sensitive portfolio like the Ministry of Home Affairs, which wields immense administrative weight over law enforcement mechanisms, presents a direct conflict of interest.

She stressed that the paramount objective of the state must be to guarantee that the ongoing investigation and subsequent judicial proceedings are conducted with absolute independence, transparency, and fairness.

The Telangana Rakshana Sena chief asserted that public faith in the neutrality of the justice system requires that no shadow of political influence hangs over the case involving a minor.

(With inputs from PTI and IANS)