Bandi Sanjay (right) with son Bhageerath
NEW DELHI: Union minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Saturday said he has “handed over” his son, Bandi Bhageerath, to the police in connection with a POCSO case.Bandi Sanjay, former chief of the BJP’s Telangana unit, asserted that “all are equal before the law.”“Today, I handed over my son Bandi Bhageerath to the police through an advocate for investigation. I have previously said that all are equal before the law. My son has consistently maintained that he has committed no wrongdoing, and I had already decided to hand him over to the police when the complaint was filed against him,” ANI quoted him as saying.“We handed over all the evidence to the legal teams, and after examining it, they said bail would be granted in the case. That is why there was a delay in the surrender. I have full respect for the judiciary,” the Karimnagar MP added.The development came a day after the Telangana high court declined to grant Bhageerath interim protection from arrest.Justice T Madhava Devi heard the matter until nearly midnight and indicated that orders would be issued on the next vacation court day. Bhageerath’s counsel sought interim protection from arrest until the orders were pronounced.The case was registered on May 8 under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) against Bhageerath, based on a complaint filed by the mother of a 17-year-old girl. The complainant alleged that Bhageerath was in a relationship with her daughter and had sexually harassed the minor.After the victim’s statement was recorded, more stringent provisions of the POCSO Act were invoked in the case.Bhageerath later filed a counter-complaint with the police in Karimnagar, alleging that the girl had invited him to family functions and group gatherings. An FIR was subsequently registered on his complaint.In his complaint, Bhageerath said he accompanied the family on visits to certain holy places as part of a group of friends, believing them to be “trustworthy”. He further alleged that the girl and her parents later pressured him to marry her. When he refused, they allegedly demanded money and threatened to file false complaints against him if he failed to pay.He claimed that, out of fear, he paid Rs 50,000 to the girl’s father, but the family later demanded Rs 5 crore. Bhageerath also alleged that they threatened that the girl’s mother would die by suicide if he did not meet their demands.