HC grants protection to Allu Arjun from arrest

Hyderabad: On Friday at 4 pm, the Telangana High Court single bench of Justice Juvvadi Sridevi, while hearing the criminal petition filed by Allu Arjun, directed the superintendent of Charlapally prison to release the actor after he furnishes a personal bond of Rs 50,000. He was arrested during the day by the Chikkadpally police in the Sandhya theatre incident.

The judge, while granting interim bail to Arjun, granted interim protection from arrest for four weeks. She further directed the actor to approach the IX Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Hyderabad, and apply for regular bail.

In another criminal petition filed by the theatre management of Sandhya Cine Enterprise 70MM, seeking a direction to the police not to arrest them, the judge directed the police not to arrest the petitioners, who are yet to be arrested. In the case of the petitioners who are already arrested, she ordered the jail superintendent to release them by obtaining a Rs. 25,000 personal bond.

The Chikkadpally police registered FIR 376/2024 on December 5 against the actor of ‘Pushpa’ and the theatre management on a complaint by Mogudampally Bhaskar, husband of the woman who died in the incident at 9 pm on December 4, when “Pushpa 2” was screened, and his son, who is in a critical condition.

S Niranjan Reddy, senior counsel for Arjun, informed the judge that no sections under which he was booked—Section 304 IPC (presently S. 1015 of BNS)—are done without any intent to cause death or bodily injury; it does not attract the petitioner as the death occurred without his knowledge.

Further, the counsel said no allegation points to the petitioner’s mere presence in the theatre, which cannot be construed as a culpable act or omission leading to the death of the complainant’s wife.

Palle Nageshwar Rao, public prosecutor, opposed the actor’s bail plea. Hearing in the case was adjourned for four weeks.