Overview
- The High Court granted regular conditional bail to Bandi Bhagirath on July 9, ordering a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and two sureties and directing him to cooperate with the investigation.
- The order requires surrender of his passport, bars any contact or attempts to influence the victim or witnesses, forbids public comments or social media posts about the case, and prohibits tampering with evidence.
- The case began with an FIR filed on May 8 at Petbasheerabad alleging sexual offences against a girl reported to be 17, and Bhagirath was arrested on May 16 and held in judicial custody before briefly receiving interim bail for exams in June.
- Police expanded the charges after the victim’s statement, adding aggravated penetrative sexual assault under the POCSO Act and rape provisions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and a Special Investigation Team has examined digital evidence as a chargesheet is readied.
- Bhagirath denies wrongdoing and has filed a counter-complaint alleging extortion by the girl’s family, while opponents and prosecutors have warned the defendant’s release could risk witness influence, making the court’s protections and the forthcoming chargesheet the next key developments.