SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
Hyderabad: Google, Meta and X Corp have been told by the Telangana High Court to immediately remove or block any content on the sexual offences case against Bandi Sai Bageerath, son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, along with any similar material that surfaces.
According to The Times of India, Justice EV Venugopal passed the interim order on Thursday, October 8. It also covers television channels and unnamed individuals, who are barred from telecasting or circulating anything related to the case filed under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The judge issued notices to the Telangana government and the Centre and gave them four weeks to file their counters. Google, Meta, X and the state sought time to respond, and the matter was adjourned.
Bageerath has been given liberty to approach the court again if there is any dispute or confusion over whether a particular piece of content falls within the order.
What Bageerath’s counsel argued
Senior counsel Avinash Desai, appearing for Bageerath, said the case was still being telecast and discussed on social media even after his client secured regular bail. He argued that this was harming the reputation of Bageerath and of his father.
Desai told the court that private family functions of the petitioner were being tied to the case and broadcast. He also alleged a sustained media trial that included allegations against the judge and the advocates who handled the bail proceedings.
How the case reached this stage
Police registered the case on May 8 under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the POCSO Act, on a complaint by the mother of a 17-year-old girl. On May 15, the high court declined to give Bageerath interim protection from arrest. In that hearing, the court also took a dim view of a social media smear campaign against the complainant’s side and directed the police to act against influencers circulating photographs and videos of the girl and her family.
The high court granted Bageerath bail on July 9. One of the conditions bars him from giving interviews, press statements or podcasts, or posting about the case on social media, until the trial concludes.
SOURCE : SIASAT
