In the Sandhya theater stampede case in Hyderabad, actor Allu Arjun got interim bail from Telangana High Court on Friday evening for four weeks. The verdict of the HC came hours after he was sent to judicial custody for 14 days. A woman lost her life and her son sustained severe injuries after a stampede during the screening of Pushpa 2: The Rise movie in Hyderabad.
Telugu superstar Allu Arjun was arrested on Friday and subsequently granted interim bail by the Telangana High Court, all within a dramatic five-hour span.
The actor’s arrest stemmed from the death of a woman during a stampede at the premiere of his blockbuster movie, “Pushpa 2: The Rule.” Despite the high court’s relief, the actor is still spending the night in jail. The prison authorities had not received the bail copy until late Friday, and even if it had, the bail would need to be scrutinized before release could be feasible on Friday, news agency PTI reported sources saying. Therefore, Arjun is likely to be released on Saturday morning.
Additional DCP Task Force told the media, “He (Allu Arjun) will be released tomorrow morning… I don’t know the reasons… He will be released tomorrow morning…”
#WATCH | Hyderabad, Telangana: On the release of actor Allu Arjun, Srinivas Rao, Additional DCP Task Force, says, “He (Allu Arjun) will be released tomorrow morning… I don’t know the reasons… He will be released tomorrow morning…” pic.twitter.com/9Rf1WclV1o
— ANI (@ANI) December 13, 2024
Notably, the deceased woman’s husband stated that he does not hold Allu Arjun responsible for the tragedy. He expressed his willingness to withdraw his case.
According to PTI, Arjun’s legal team argued that the theater management had informed the police well in advance about the actor’s program and had sought security and traffic management assistance.
Senior Advocate S. Niranjan Reddy, representing the actor, argued that just because a popular person dies in a stampede, they cannot be accused of a crime unless there is deliberate and direct negligence or omission. He further asserted that culpable homicide, which does not constitute murder, will not be applicable against the actor in this case.
Advocate Karam Komireddy told news agency ANI, “We have appeared for the management of Sandhya Theatre. We had filed a quash petition before the High Court. The HC has given a direction to the Police not to arrest the people who have not yet been arrested with respect to the management. 2 owners of Sandhya Theatre have been arrested, the HC has given direction that they should be enlarged (from jail) on an interim bail.”
“Allu Arjun has also been granted interim bail for a period of 4 weeks. He shall be executing a personal bond of Rs 50,000 with the Superintendent of jail at Chanchalguda. Thereafter, he will be enlarged on bail,” he added.
#WATCH | Hyderabad, Telangana: Advocate Karam Komireddy says, “We have appeared for the management of Sandhya Theatre. We had filed a quash petition before the High Court. The HC has given a direction to the Police not to arrest the people who have not yet been arrested with… pic.twitter.com/zPV3hgwZjO
— ANI (@ANI) December 13, 2024
While filing a Lunch Motion on Arjun’s behalf, the high court judge, Justice J Sridevi, directed him to submit a surety of Rs 50,000 to the jail authorities and cooperate fully in the investigation.
Allu Arjun’s Arrest Over Hyderabad Theatre Stampede Death
On December 4, a woman Revathi died after stampede at Sandhya theatre on December 4 during the premiere of his film ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’.
In a surprising turn of events, the actor was picked up by a police team and was taken to the Chikkadpally police station. Following the incident, the city police registered a case against Arjun, his security team, and the theater management under various sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Chikkadpally police station based on the complaint lodged by the deceased woman’s family.
His father, Allu Arvind, and actor-brother, Allu Sirish, soon arrived at the police station where a crowd of fans had also gathered in support. Deputy Commissioner of Police Akanksh Yadav and his team interrogated Allu Arjun for two hours. Earlier, the police had also arrested two theater staff members and the theater owner in connection with the incident.
Earlier, the Opposition slammed the Congress government over arrest of Allu Arjun and argued that he was unfairly held accountable for the stampede. BRS leader KT Rama Rao said, “Arrest of National Award-winning star Allu Arjun is the pinnacle of insecurity of the rulers! I totally sympathize with the victims of the stampede but who failed really? Treating @alluarjun Garu as a common criminal is uncalled for especially for something he isn’t directly responsible. There is always space for respect & dignified conduct. I strongly condemn the high-handed behaviour of Govt.”
