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The Actor contended that he attended the screening of Pushpa 2 at Sandhya 70 MM Theatre on December 2, 2024, after providing prior intimation to the theatre management and the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Chikkadpally, regarding security arrangements to prevent any untoward incidents.
The Telangana High Court, on Friday, granted interim bail of 4 weeks to Actor Allu Arjun, for a stampede case causing the death of a woman at the premiere of the movie. The bench of Justice Juvvadi Sitidevi listed the matter for January 21, 2025.
Senior Advocate S. Niranjan Reddy, representing the Actor, contended that when the Actor went to attend the premier, there was a large number of the crowd leading to the demise of the wife of respondent No. 2 and injuries to their child. It was alleged that the wife and son were seated in the lower balcony of the theatre hall and experienced severe breathing difficulties due to overcrowding and suffocation caused by the commotion.
Senior Advocate Reddy further submitted that the incident occurred due to the failure to arrange adequate security measures by the management and staff of Sandhya Theatre and the insufficient deployment of police officials to manage the large gathering of people within the theatre premises. Consequently, attributing criminal liability to the petitioner merely because of his presence at the location constituted an abuse of the legal process. There was no ‘mens rea’ on the Actor's part concerning the alleged offences, and the accusations made against him did not constitute or attract the said offences.
Public Prosecutor Palle Nageswar Rao, representing the State, argued that Serious allegations were made against the Actor, rendering him ineligible for the reliefs sought. The Actor, despite being aware of the need for prior police permission, proceeded to Sandhya 70 MM Theatre to watch the premiere show of ‘Pushpa 2’ without obtaining such permission.
Public Prosecutor Rao contended that this action by the Actor led to an unfortunate incident resulting in the death of the woman and injuries to her son. Public Prosecutor Rao asserted that the Actor, therefore, became liable for criminal prosecution concerning the alleged offences. Furthermore, it was submitted that interim bail could not be granted in a petition seeking the quashing of proceedings under Section 528 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.
The court, while placing reliance on the principles laid down by the Supreme Court, granted four weeks of interim bail to Actor Allu Arjun with a personal bond of INR 50,000/-.
For Petitioner: Senior Advocate S. Niranjan Reddy with Advocate G. Ashok ReddyFor Respondent: Public Prosecutor Palle Nageswar RaoCase Title: Allu Arjun v State of Telangana (Crl. P 15270/2024)
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