India
Allu Arjun spends night in jail despite bail in stampede case – Times of India
Telangana High Court granted Arjun interim bail on a surety bond of Rs 50,000 till January 21 after a local court remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days. Judge J Sridevi said it was “unfair” to hold the actor accountable for the stampede when the film’s distributors had informed the police about his presence at the premiere.
However, Chanchalguda jail authorities told TOI that the actor would not be released that night. Amid protests from fans outside, a jail official said that Arjun would be released on Saturday morning as the bail order was received late.
The family of Revathi, who was killed in the stampede, said Arjun was not to blame and they were ready to withdraw the complaint that prompted police to register a criminal case.
The actor’s arrest is unfounded, says family who have filed a complaint
Allu Arjun could not be held legally responsible for the December 4 stampede at the Sandhya Theater in which a woman was killed as the police were duly informed about his presence at the premiere and should have taken adequate precautions, the counsel for the actor in a statement. packed courtroom in Nampally on Friday.
DCP (central zone) Akshansh Yadav had denied receiving a warning from the theater on December 2 the morning after the stampede. On December 8, ACP (Chikadpally division) L Ramesh Kumar reiterated that there was “no prior information” about Allu Arjun being invited to the theatre.
The public prosecutor sought judicial remand of Allu Arjun on the grounds that despite the police rejecting the Sandhya Theatre’s request, the actor and his entourage showed up, leading to what he said was “an uncontrollable situation ” was. The police also accused Allu Arjun of arriving at the theater in a procession for which no prior permission had been granted. “Waving at people from the open-top car excited the crowd, causing more and more people to join in and rush into the theater,” the prosecutor said.
The prosecution took a similar stand during the arguments during Allu Arjun’s hearing on Allu Arjun’s interim bail plea. Prosecutor Palle Nageswara Rao opposed any relief to the actor and asked him to apply for regular bail on December 16.
Judge J. Sridevi ruled that none of the charges – including negligence leading to death and prior knowledge of the likelihood of such death – applied in the case as the police failed to produce evidence that they had denied the theater’s bandobast request had rejected.
Allu Arjun’s counsel Niranjan Reddy cited a Gujarat HC order granting “immediate relief” to Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan when he was accused of causing someone’s death in a stampede during a publicity event for his film Raees 2017.
Justice Sridevi also granted interim bail to the four co-owners of Sandhya Theatre. She asked the police to continue the investigation and ordered the actor to cooperate with them.
The criminal case was filed against the actor, his security team and the management of Sandhya Theater on the basis of a complaint filed by the family of the victim, Revathi. But the family said the actor’s arrest was not justified. “My son wanted to watch ‘Pushpa 2’ so I took them to the theater. Allu Arjun was not at fault. I heard about his arrest from a news portal,” Revathi’s husband Mogadampalli Bhaskar said. Revathi was with her nine-year-old son Sritej when police tried to disperse the swelling crowd on the premiere night to get a glimpse of the actor. The boy, a fan of Arjun, was seriously injured in the ensuing stampede.
The day of the drama started around 11.30 am when the police arrested Allu Arjun from his residence in Jubilee Hills. He was taken to Chikadpally police station, where hundreds of fans had gathered. The actor’s father, Allu Arvind, a film producer, and other family members followed the police convoy.
The actor waved to his fans and smiled as he was later taken to Gandhi Hospital for a medical examination. At 3.30 pm, Allu Arjun was produced before the Ninth Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate of the Nampally Criminal Court.
The HC relief came soon after Allu Arjun entered the Chanchalguda Central Jail wearing a white hoodie with the film’s dialogue, “flower nahi, fire hei mein”, embroidered on it. Late Friday, city police said: “It is beyond our capabilities to provide a bandobast for every event. In specific cases where a large crowd is expected or a popular personality is visiting, the organizer will personally visit the police station/ACP/DCP office and issue instructions. about the program, depending on which we provide the bandobast.”
