Suspense continued over the release of popular Tollywood actor Allu Arjun on Friday night as Chanchalguda Central Jail authorities had not received the orders of Telangana High Court, which granted him interim bail in the case relating to a stampede at a theatre during the premier show of ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’.
A large number of fans of the actor remained outside the jail waiting for his release. However, there are indications that the Pushpa actor may have to stay in jail tonight.
Allu Arju’s lawyers had prepared two personal bonds of Rs 50,000 to be submitted to jail authorities as per the direction of the High Court.
A woman died and her son was critically injured during the stampede at Sandhya Theatre during the premier show attended by Allu Arjun on December 4.
Police had registered a case under sections 105 (Culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 118(1) (Voluntarily causing hurt) r/w 3(5) BNS against Allu Arjun, his security team and the management of the theatre.
The interim bail capped the day-long dramatic developments that began in the morning with the actor’s arrest from his residence in Jubilee Hills.
The bail orders came in the evening, barely an hour after a city court sent Allu Arjun to judicial custody for 14 days.
The High Court gave interim bail for four weeks during the hearing of the quash petition filed by the actor.
The pan-India actor received the respite even as the police were shifting him to Chanchalguda Jail from Nampally Criminal Court Complex.
The High Court also granted interim bail to three members of the theatre management who were arrested earlier in the case.
The Public Prosecutor raised an objection to the interim bail. The court adjourned further hearing to December 21.
During the hearing on the quash petition, Allu Arjun’s counsel argued that BNS section 105 does not apply to him as he had nothing to do with the stampede.
S. Niranjan Reddy argued that the actor can’t be held responsible for the stampede. He also informed the court that the theatre management and producer had informed the police in advance about Allu Arjun’s visit.
Niranjan Reddy cited the case of the 2017 stampede at Vadodara Railway Station during actor Shah Rukh Khan’s train journey from Mumbai to Delhi to promote his movie ‘Raees’. The Gujarat High Court had quashed the complaint filed against Shah Rukh Khan for the stampede, which had killed one person and injured several others. The Supreme Court later upheld the High Court order.
The Public Prosecutor told the court that All Arjun visited the theatre despite a request by police not to come in view of the possibility of a huge gathering. The court was informed that the actor reached the theatre in a rally.
The police, which arrested the national award-winning actor from his residence in Hyderabad, produced him before a magistrate Nampally Criminal Court complex. He was named accused number 11 in the case.
Earlier, police recorded the statement of the actor at Chikkadpally Police Station. He was then taken to Gandhi Hospital for a medical check-up.
A police team took the national award-winning actor into custody from his house in Jubilee Hills, hours after his return from Delhi, where he attended the success meet of ‘Pushpa 2’.
Arjun’s father, well-known filmmaker Allu Arvind, actor brother Allu Sirish and other family members were present when he was arrested.
The police team led by Deputy Commissioner of Police Akanksh Yadav questioned Allu Arjun for nearly two hours in light of the statements made by eyewitnesses.
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