Hyderabad court orders takedown of reports linking Union minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar to his son's POCSO case

A civil court in Hyderabad has directed several media channels to remove allegedly defamatory reports linking Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar to the sexual assault case involving his son, Bandi Sai Bageerath.

The order was passed in a defamation suit filed by Kumar in the City Civil Court Complex on Friday. A vacation judge issued an ad-interim injunction on Kumar's plea and listed the matter for hearing on May 29.

The court specifically referred to reports that displayed Kumar’s images while covering the sexual assault allegations against his son.

"It is ordered that, there shall be ad-interim injunction directing the respondents No.1 to 23, to remove and delete all the posts in all the media platform mentioned in the URLs of the petition schedule from depicting the photographs of the petitioner in any manner," the Court ordered.

Kumar has sought directions to restrain social media platforms and at least 19 media channels from publishing defamatory content against him, along with the takedown of material already published.

The suit is linked to the registration of a criminal case against his son. Bandi Sanjay Kumar has come under intense scrutiny following allegations of sexual abuse against his son.

Bageerath was booked on May 8 under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for sexual abusing a minor.

After Telangana High Court on Friday night declined to grant him any interim protection from arrest, he reportedly surrendered before the police on Saturday evening.

However, Cyberabad Police Commissioner has told the media that Bageerath was apprehended on the outskirts of Hyderabad city.