NEW DELHI: The regular bail hearing of Tollywood actor Allu Arjun, in connection with the stampede at Sandhya Theatre on December 4, is scheduled to begin today.
The Nampally court had reserved the matter for January 3 after hearing arguments from both sides.
Arjun, who is currently on interim bail, is seeking regular bail in the homicide case that claimed the life of one woman and left her son critically injured.
The incident on December 4, occurred minutes after Arjun’s arrival at the theatre, with the crowd’s overwhelming response leading to the fatal stampede.
The victim, identified as Revathi, suffocated in the chaos, while her son remains in critical condition.
Arjun’s defence team, led by senior counsel Reddy, has argued that the actor did not intend to harm anyone and emphasized that no prohibition orders had been issued by the police on the day of the premiere.
Reddy also pointed out that similar stampedes had occurred during previous movie premieres, such as those for the film Raees.
The public prosecutor, however, opposed the actor’s bail, claiming that the stampede was triggered by Arjun’s unannounced arrival at the venue.
Arguments in the court lasted for nearly 30 minutes, with Reddy highlighting that the incident could not solely be blamed on the actor.
So far, the court has granted conditional bail to seven individuals, including the owners of Sandhya Theatre.
These conditions require the accused to report to the Chikkadpally police station every Sunday and refrain from interfering with the investigation.
Meanwhile, the security arrangements at the premiere have come under scrutiny.
The Security Association of Telangana (SAT) has raised concerns over the bouncers present during the event, alleging that they were not affiliated with any registered agencies.
SAT president D. Srikanth stated that this lack of accountability for the security personnel was tarnishing the reputation of legitimate private security agencies.
