Theatre stampede case: Court in Telangana reserves order on actor Allu Arjun's bail plea

Hyderabad: A court here on Monday reserved its order on the bail plea of top Telugu actor Allu Arjun, who is an accused in a case related to the death of a woman during a stampede at the premiere of his latest film, Pushpa-2.

The II Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge deferred his verdict to January 3, 2025, after hearing arguments from both the police, which filed a counter-petition, and the actor’s counsel.

Allu Arjun, named as accused No. 11 in the case, had earlier filed a regular bail petition in the court and appeared via video conference on December 27.

The incident occurred on December 4 at Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad, when a 35-year-old woman died and her 8-year-old son was injured in a stampede-like situation as fans crowded to catch a glimpse of the actor at the Pushpa-2 premiere.

Following the incident, the city police registered a case against Allu Arjun, his security team, and the theatre management under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Chikkadpally police station, based on a complaint lodged by the deceased woman’s family.

The actor was arrested on December 13 and granted interim bail by the Telangana High Court the following day for four weeks.

Meanwhile, the eight-year-old boy, who is undergoing treatment in a hospital here, has not had any fever and he continues to tolerate feeds via nasogastric tube well.

His neurological status remains status quo, the hospital said on Monday.

“Sritej is needing oxygen and minimal ventilator support again since last two days. His chest X ray had shown Rt sided haziness which has improved after bronchoscopy and suctioning,” it said in a health update.