Actor Allu Arjun, who faced charges following the tragic death of a 35-year-old woman in a stampede at a Hyderabad theatre during the premiere of ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ last month, has been granted regular bail by a court in the city on Friday (January 3).
The actor, arrested on December 13, was released a day later after securing interim bail from the Telangana High Court, which was set to expire on January 10.
Now, the Nampally court in Hyderabad granted regular bail to Arjun on the condition that he provide two sureties of Rs 50,000 each. The court also instructed him to appear before the investigating officer on Sunday (January 5), as confirmed by his lawyer Ashok Reddy, according to PTI reports.
The unfortunate incident occurred on December 4 when a large crowd surged at the theatre to catch a glimpse of Arjun. In the chaos, a woman tragically lost her life, and her nine-year-old son was hospitalised due to asphyxiation. Police Commissioner CV Anand noted that the boy might have sustained brain damage due to a lack of oxygen.
Following the event, the Hyderabad Police filed a case against Arjun, his security team, and the management of Sandhya Theatre. The charges included sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 118(1) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy strongly criticised the actor’s actions in the Assembly on December 21, accusing him of failing to seek police permission and organising a “roadshow” before and after his visit to the theatre.
However, Arjun defended himself, calling the accusations “humiliating” and denying any intent to blame anyone, including the police or political leaders. “A lot of misinformation is going around. I am not trying to blame anyone, any department or political leader… It is humiliating and feels like character assassination. Please don’t judge me,” he told media. He added, “Permission was sought from the theatre management. The police cleared the way so I went in. I am a law-abiding citizen. I would have left if I were told that there was no permission.”
In the wake of the incident, Arjun, along with the film’s director, had earlier offered financial assistance to the victim’s family, Rs 25 lakh from the actor and Rs 5 lakh from the director. Arjun’s father later pledged an additional sum of Rs 2 crore as further support.
