Allu Arjun, who was arrested and sent to 14 days of judicial custody in connection with the stampede case by a local court was granted interim bail by the Telangana High Court.
The Telangana High Court on Friday while hearing interim bail petition of Tollywood actor Allu Arjun after his arrest over his alleged involvement in a stampede at the premiere of his film ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ witnessed a parallel to a similarly tragic incident involving Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan and his film ‘Raees’, in which also one person died.
While arguing, Arjun’s legal counsel recalled the incident, when Shah Rukh Khan faced charges after a stampede occurred during a promotional event for his film Raees at Vadodara Railway Station in 2017. The lawyer said that Shah Rukh Khan was involved in actions, but Allu Arjun just attended the screening of the film.
“The main question before the court was that is somebody doing a rash or negligent act? In Raees case, the actor threw clothes at the station, which led to a stampede. In that case he was not found criminally liable,” the lawyer said.
“However, in this case, the actor was only watching the film. So, it has to be seen if even negligence stands against him,’ he added.
The lawyer further argued that Arjun was on the first floor of the theatre while the stampede took place on the ground floor where the victims were stuck.
“The allegation is that a surge occurred in the lower area where the victims were stuck. My client was on the first floor at the time and was simply watching the film. Even the police and theatre management did not ask him not to attend,” the legal counsel said in Arjun’s defence.
Arjun’s lawyer also argued that the actor had neither the intention nor the knowledge that his visit to Sandhya Theatre during the screening of Pushpa 2 would lead to such a tragic mishap. As such, the lawyer contended that a case of culpable homicide was not applicable, and at most, negligence could be considered. He further said that the essential elements of criminal intent — such as causing bodily harm — were absent, as the victim’s death resulted from asphyxiation caused by the crowd surge, not any deliberate act by the actor.
Allu Arjun Arrested, Sent to Judicial Custody, Then Granted Bail
Arjun, who was arrested and sent to 14 days of judicial custody in connection with the stampede case by a local court was granted interim bail by the Telangana High Court.
The actor was booked under Sections 105 and 118(1) of the BNS Act. He has been accused of criminal negligence and voluntarily causing hurt.
The court ruled that there was no malafide action associated with the Tollywood actor in the ongoing case. Granting him interim bail for a period of four weeks, the court provided the actor with a significant relief. In addition, the court set a personal bail bond of Rs 50,000.