Telangana HC grants bail to south superstar Allu Arjun after arrest over stampede death at Pushpa 2 premiere

Telugu actor Allu Arjun was granted temporary bail by the Telangana High Court on Dec 13, just hours after being arrested in connection with a stampede that occurred during the Dec 4 Hyderabad premiere of his movie Pushpa 2.

The High Court’s order came shortly after the trial court remanded Arjun to 14 days of judicial custody.

The police case involves the Sandhya Theatre’s administration, the actor, and the security team.

According to authorities, there was no prior information indicating that the film’s crew would attend the premiere.

A team from the Chikkadpally police station, where the case was registered, arrested Arjun on Dec 13.

"A case has been filed under BNS section 105 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and section 118(1) r/w 3(5) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt) at the Chikkadpally police station based on the complaint from the family of the deceased. The investigation is ongoing, and stringent action will be taken against all those responsible for the chaotic situation inside the theatre that led to a fatality and injuries," said Akshansh Yadav, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Central Zone, Hyderabad Police.

On Dec 13, officials from the Hyderabad Police Commissioner’s Task Force, along with Chikkadpally police, arrived at Arjun's residence and arrested him.

The actor has petitioned the Telangana High Court to clear his name from the FIR, but the case has yet to be heard.

The owner of Sandhya Theatre and two of its staff members have already been detained.

Arjun was accompanied to the police station by his father, film producer Allu Aravind.

Meanwhile, Arjun’s legal team filed a lunch motion petition in the Telangana High Court to prevent his arrest until Dec 16.

The stampede at Sandhya Theatre on Dec 4 claimed the life of a 39-year-old woman, identified as Revathi from Dilsukhnagar, and left her nine-year-old son, Sri Tej, critically injured.

Revathi had attended the premiere with her husband, Bhaskar, and their two children.

Despite the tragedy, Pushpa 2: The Rule, the action-packed sequel directed by Sukumar, has broken multiple box office records since its release.

The movie is expected to surpass several other blockbusters as it enters its second week in theaters worldwide.

As of now, Pushpa 2 has earned ₹726 crore in India. On its eighth day of release, the film continued its upward revenue trend, particularly through its Hindi-language edition.

According to Mythri Movie Makers, the film grossed at least ₹1,105 crore globally in just eight days, up from ₹1,067 crore after seven days.

Directed by Sukumar, Pushpa 2 stars Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna in the lead roles.

The film is a sequel to Pushpa: The Rise, released in 2021, and will be followed by Pushpa 3: The Rampage.