Telangana High Court grants interim bail to Allu Arjun in Pushpa 2 stampede tragedy [Read Order]

Telangana: The Telangana High Court has granted interim bail to Telugu superstar Allu Arjun in connection with a tragic incident during the premiere of his film Pushpa 2, which resulted in the death of a woman.

Justice Juvvadi Sridevi made important observations about the circumstances surrounding the actor’s legal predicament and the nature of his potential culpability.

Telangana High Court Grants Bail to Allu Arjun Amid Pushpa 2 Premiere Tragedy

The case pertains to a stampede at Sandhya 70 MM Theatre on December 2, 2024. The court observed, “Prima facie, the incident occurred due to the failure of the Sandhya Theatre management and staff to arrange adequate security measures and insufficient police deployment to control the large crowd within the theatre premises.”

Addressing the legal implications, the court remarked, “Attributing criminal liability to the petitioner solely based on his presence at the location constitutes an abuse of the process of law. There is no mens rea on the part of the petitioner concerning the commission of the alleged offences.”

Allu Arjun Secures Interim Bail After Stampede Incident at Pushpa 2 Premiere

The court further noted that “When the petitioner attended the screening of Pushpa 2 at Sandhya 70 MM Theatre, with prior intimation given to the theatre management and the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Chikkadpally, on December 2, 2024, to ensure security and prevent any untoward incidents, an unfortunate tragedy occurred.”

The tragic incident involved the death of a woman and injury to her child due to overcrowding during the film’s premiere. The theatre management had sought prior permission from police authorities, while the film’s production team had requested safety precautions during the screening.

Citing judicial precedent, the court referred to the Supreme Court’s observations in Arnab Manoranjan Goswami v. State of Maharashtra, emphasizing that “Deprivation of liberty even for a single day is one day too many.”

The Public Prosecutor opposed bail, arguing that Arjun attended the event without obtaining proper permissions, which allegedly led to the tragic incident. However, the court found merit in the actor’s defense and granted interim bail for four weeks, subject to specific conditions, including executing a personal bond of ₹50,000, cooperating with the investigation, and refraining from interfering with witnesses.

The court’s detailed order recognized that Allu Arjun, a renowned actor in the Indian film industry, had taken prior measures to ensure security for the highly anticipated screening of Pushpa 2.

The case has been listed for the next hearing on January 21, 2025, with the court directing the investigating officer to continue the investigation while granting interim relief.

Advocates S. Niranjan Reddy and G. Ashok Reddy appeared for the petitioner.

Palle Nageswar Rao, Public Prosecutor, appeared for the State.

Case Title: Allu Arjun v. State of Telangana

 [Read Order]