Bandi Bageerath got bail for exams arranged days before his plea

Critics have pointed to the compressed timeline, a June 15 examination notification, June 18 fee deadline, June 19 bail application and June 22 commencement, as warranting scrutiny.

Hyderabad: The interim bail granted to Bandi Sai Bageerath in a POCSO case has drawn fresh scrutiny after court documents revealed the relief was sought specifically to allow him to appear for supplementary examinations at Mahindra University.

A POCSO court in Malkajgiri granted Bageerath, 25, seven days of interim bail until June 26. He has been in judicial custody at Cherlapally Central Prison since his arrest on May 16.

Bail petition and the timeline

According to the bail petition, Bageerath is a BBA student at Mahindra University and was scheduled to appear for special supplementary examinations from June 22 to June 24. The petition argued that missing the exams and the subsequent viva voce process could cost him an academic year.

Documents attached to the plea include an email dated June 15 from Mahindra University notifying BBA 2023 batch students of the special supplementary exams, with a fee payment deadline of June 18.

The sequence of events has attracted attention on social media. Critics have pointed to the compressed timeline, a June 15 examination notification, June 18 fee deadline, June 19 bail application and June 22 commencement, as warranting scrutiny.

Some posts have also flagged that the timetable lists multiple subjects in the same examination slots, such as Supply Chain Analytics and Investment and Portfolio Management, both scheduled for the June 23 afternoon session, and Leadership and Teamwork alongside AI/ML Approaches to Decision Making listed simultaneously on June 24. 

It should be noted, however, that universities commonly schedule different subjects in the same session for students carrying different backlogs, and this does not by itself indicate irregularity. The documents do not establish that the examinations were arranged specifically for Bageerath, nor do they disclose how many students were eligible.

However, Siasat.com reached out to Mahindra University multiple times for comment, but there was no response. Should we receive a response, this copy will be updated.

The case against Bandi Bageerath

The interim bail comes amid a continuing criminal case. A POCSO complaint was filed against Bageerath on May 8 at Pet Basheerabad Police Station by the mother of a 17-year-old girl, who alleged he sexually assaulted her daughter on two occasions at a farmhouse on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Charges were subsequently altered to aggravated penetrative sexual assault on May 12, and police have also invoked provisions relating to repeated assault of the same victim.

Bageerath has denied the allegations and filed a counter-complaint in Karimnagar alleging extortion, claiming the girl’s family demanded Rs 5 crore and threatened false cases when he refused to marry her.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Kukatpally Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ritiraj. Investigators have said the chargesheet is ready pending a forensic science laboratory report. His father, Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar, has maintained there was no wrongdoing and expressed faith in the judiciary.