A new twist has emerged in the high profile POCSO case involving Bandi Sai Bageerath after his legal team challenged the victim’s claim of being a minor before the Telangana High Court.
According to court submissions, the defense argued that there are discrepancies in the victim’s birth records. Two separate birth certificates reportedly show different years of birth one mentioning 2008 and another mentioning 2010. The certificates were allegedly issued by different municipal authorities and mention different hospitals as the place of birth.
The defense also referred to a 2021 rash driving chargesheet in which the girl’s age was allegedly recorded as 15 years. Based on this calculation, Bageerath’s counsel argued that she would now be above 18 years of age in 2026 and therefore POCSO provisions may not apply.
However, reports noted that even with the discrepancy in birth certificates, both documents still indicate that the girl was a minor during the period mentioned in the complaint.
The case is expected to be heard urgently by the vacation bench of the Telangana High Court on May 14 as part of Bageerath’s interim anticipatory bail petition.
The case was registered at Pet Basheerabad Police Station after the family of a 17 year old girl accused Bageerath of sexual assault, exploitation and misconduct at multiple locations on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Police later upgraded the charges to aggravated penetrative sexual assault under the POCSO Act, a non-bailable offence carrying severe punishment.
Bageerath has denied the allegations and filed a counter complaint claiming extortion and blackmail by the girl’s family. He alleged that ₹5 crore was demanded from him and his family after he refused marriage proposals.
The controversy has triggered a major political storm in Telangana, with opposition parties demanding strict action and a transparent investigation. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has already directed police to speed up the investigation under a Special Investigation Team (SIT).
