Pandey Sai Bhagirath, the Union minister’s son, was arrested on Sunday in Narsingi, a satellite town in Hyderabad in Telangana, in connection with a case against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act, police said.
This came after the Supreme Court did not grant him interim protection from arrest, and the police later issued a probation notice to him.
The Union Minister said that his son surrendered before the Telangana police. “I have handed over my son Sai Bhagirath to the police for investigation through lawyers regarding the allegations leveled against him,” he said.
What is the situation? A look at the allegations against Bhagirat
The case was filed on May 8 under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act and the POCSO Act, based on a complaint filed by the mother of a 17-year-old girl. She alleged that Bhagirat had an affair with her daughter and sexually harassed her.
According to the mother’s complaint, he began a relationship with her daughter in June 2025, after she made false promises of marriage. He allegedly subjected the girl to indecent physical acts and forced her to drink alcohol between October 2025 and January 2026, news agency ANI reported.
According to the FIR, after the relationship ended on January 7, the girl allegedly tried to harm herself twice later that month, the report said.
Bhagirat had sought immediate protection from arrest, which was later denied by the Telangana High Court.
During the court proceedings, senior advocate Babu Nageshwar Rao, who represented the girl, alleged that Bhagirat’s father was using his influence to influence the investigation. He also said that efforts were being made through a person identified as Sanjaba to settle the matter, HT reported earlier.
Rao also alleged that four other girls were harassed and that they would come forward later.
After recording the statement of the survivor, stricter sections of the POCSO Act were activated in this case.
Bhagirat’s allegations against the minor’s family
The alleged accused had filed a complaint in Karimnagar, alleging that the girl, who recognized him, invited him to family functions and group outings. Based on his complaint, the police lodged an FIR.
He said in his complaint that he considered the girl’s family trustworthy and traveled with them and a group of friends to certain religious places.
He also claimed that the girl and her parents later pressured him to marry her. After he refused, he claimed that her parents demanded money and threatened to file false complaints if he did not pay, news agency PTI reported.
Bhagirath said he paid $50,000 to the girl’s father out of fear, but later the family demanded it $5 Crores. They also allegedly threatened the girl’s mother with suicide if he failed to meet their demands, according to the report.
Senior advocate S Niranjan Reddy, appearing for the Bhagirath bench, told the Telangana High Court that a close reading of the complaint did not show allegations amounting to sexual assault under the POCSO Act. He also said police later included the sexual assault section with “bad faith intent.”
Prosecutor Bali Nageshwar Rao, who appeared before the state government and police, said investigators had collected detailed evidence. He said the seriousness of the allegations only became clear after the survivor’s statement was recorded, which led to the addition of the charge of penetrative sexual assault under the POCSO Act.
What did the Union Minister say about his son’s case?
Earlier, the Union Minister 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 at Karimnagar in Telangana, he said: “If anyone does a mistake, even if it is my son, everyone is equal before the law. If my son does any mistake, he will definitely face punishment. I don’t want separate treatment for my son. Everyone is the same for me. The law does not favor anyone and is equal for everyone in society. I am making this clear.”
He also said his son told him he “didn’t do anything wrong.” “He told me: ‘We were together as friends and then we broke up later. I will get out of this,'” the minister said.
The federal minister said in a statement issued on Sunday that he trusts the law and the judicial system. “I also said earlier that whether it is my son or an ordinary citizen, everyone is equal before the law. We must all abide by the law,” he said.
The minister said his son maintained that he had done nothing wrong, HT reported earlier.
He said that soon after filing the complaint, he first thought of taking Bhagirat directly to the police station. He added: “However, after consulting the legal advisor, the available evidence was presented to the lawyers, who expressed confidence that the case would be dismissed and bail would be granted without difficulty.”
He said that the delay in appearing before investigators occurred due to legal consultations, and added that lawyers are still confident of obtaining bail.
He added: “But I felt it was not right to postpone any longer. With my respect for the law and the judicial system, I brought my son and handed him over to the police through lawyers to investigate him.”
The Union Minister also said that the court orders were expected to be issued on Monday, but he did not want to postpone the matter for a longer period and therefore decided to send his son for investigation immediately. He stressed that he has complete confidence in the judiciary.
With input from agencies
