Allu Arjun, arrested and placed in 14 days’ judicial custody following the tragic death of a woman during a stampede at Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad during the premiere of Pushpa 2, has now been granted interim bail by the Telangana High Court. The incident, which occurred on December 4, raised widespread concerns about crowd management and safety at high-profile events.
The court’s decision to grant interim relief comes as investigations into the mishap continue.
The Telangana High Court has ruled that the Pushpa 2 star was not involved in any malafide activity in the current case. The judge gave the actor a major relief by granting him an interim bail for a four-week term. The court also imposed a Rs 50,000 personal bail bond.
Allu Arjun’s lawyer had previously said in court that the actor was unaware that his visit to the Sandhya Theatre for the Pushpa 2 screening would result in such a tragic incident.
The lawyer argued that, therefore, culpable homicide was not relevant and that, most likely, negligence may be taken into account. He said that there was no evidence of the basic elements of criminal intent, such as inflicting bodily injury, because the victim died from asphyxiation forced by the crowd surge rather than an intentional act on the part of the actor.
Allu’s Lawyer Cites SRK’s 2017 Case
The case against Shah Rukh Khan in 2017, when he and others were arrested for allegedly inciting a stampede at the Vadodara railway station while promoting Raees, was brought up by Allu Arjun’s lawyer before the court. The lawyer said that Allu Arjun was only watching the movie, while Shah Rukh was actively engaging in activities.
“Ready to Withdraw the Case”
The husband of the woman, who died in a stampede, said he was willing to drop the complaint after Telugu star Allu Arjun was arrested.
Bhaskar, the husband of Revathi, who died in the stampede at Sandhya Theatre on December 4, claimed to have learnt about the National Award-winning actor’s arrest from the news on television.
Speaking with reporters, Bhaskar said: “My son wanted to watch the movie so I took him to the Sandhya Theatre. There Allu Arjun came and for that it is not his fault. We are ready to withdraw the case.”
Bhaskar said that he was not notified by the police that the actor had been arrested.
“While I was at the hospital, I found out about Allu Arjun’s arrest on my phone. Allu Arjun has no relation with that incident… I am ready to withdraw the case,” he added.
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