Telangana High Court grants interim bail to Allu Arjun in Sandhya theatre stampede case

HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Friday granted interim bail to Telugu movie star Allu Arjun hours after he was sent to 14-day judicial custody by a lower court in connection with the death of a woman at Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad on December 4.

Advocate Karam Komireddy, representing the Sandhya Theatre management, confirmed the interim bail granted to Allu Arjun in the case. “Allu Arjun has been granted interim bail for a period of four weeks. He shall execute a personal bond of Rs50,000 with the Superintendent of Chanchalguda Central Jail. Thereafter, he will be released on bail”, advocate Komireddy said.

“We appeared on behalf of the management of Sandhya Theatre and filed a petition before the High Court to quash the case. The court has directed the police not to arrest those from the management who have not yet been detained. Two owners of Sandhya Theatre, who had been arrested, were also ordered to be released on interim bail”, he added.

Meanwhile, heavy police security was deployed outside Chanchalguda Central Jail, where actor Allu Arjun was brought earlier in the evening after being remanded to custody. Allu Arjun was arrested on Friday in connection with the tragic stampede at Sandhya Theatre on December 4 during the premiere of his film ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’.

The incident led to the death of a woman, 35-year-old Revathi, and injuries to her son, prompting a police investigation that culminated in the arrest of three individuals and, later, the actor himself.

Earlier in the day, advocate Rajesh, commenting on the case, stated that Allu Arjun’s lawyer had argued in court that the actor had neither knowledge of nor intent to commit the alleged offences. The defence also contended that the charges in the FIR were not applicable to the accused.

#WATCH | Hyderabad, Telangana: Actor Allu Arjun being brought out of Gandhi Hospital after his medical examination.

As per L Ramesh Kumar, ACP Chikkadpally, Allu Arjun has been arrested in connection with the case of the death of a woman at Sandhya theatre on December 4, during… pic.twitter.com/euOhYLeEUh

— ANI (@ANI) December 13, 2024

The actor was brought to Chikkadpally police station for questioning. His father Allu Aravind, brother Allu Sirish, and father-in-law Kancharla Chandrasekhar Reddy were present during the proceedings.

The stampede occurred when fans rushed into Sandhya Theatre following Allu Arjun’s arrival ahead of the film’s premiere. Police resorted to mild lathicharge to control the crowd, but the chaos led to the fatal injury of Revathi. Her son Shreethej was hospitalised with injuries.

#WATCH | Telangana: Actor Allu Arjun arrives at Sandhya theatre in Hyderabad for the premiere show of his film ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’. pic.twitter.com/Pkzra7Y1ja

— ANI (@ANI) December 4, 2024

The police have filed a case at Chikkadpally police station, citing unsafe crowd management practices as a contributing factor to the tragedy. In addition to Allu Arjun, three other individuals have been arrested in connection with the incident. (ANI)