Daijiworld Media Network - Hyderabad
Hyderabad, Jun 19: A city court in Hyderabad on Friday issued summons to actor Allu Arjun in connection with the Sandhya Theatre stampede case and directed him to appear in person on June 22.
The actor has been named as accused number 11 (A11) in the case related to the stampede that occurred during the premiere of Pushpa 2: The Rule on December 4, 2024.
The incident claimed the life of a woman and left her young son critically injured.
The Nampally Criminal Court has so far issued summons to 19 of the 23 individuals named in the police charge sheet.
According to investigators, the first 10 accused are associated with the management of Sandhya Theatre, while eight members of Allu Arjun’s private security team have also been listed among the accused.
The trial proceedings are expected to commence once all the accused appear before the court.
The tragedy unfolded on December 4, 2024, when Allu Arjun attended a special screening of Pushpa 2: The Rule at the theatre.
M. Revathi had arrived at the venue along with her husband and children to watch the premiere. Police said the actor's arrival triggered massive excitement among fans, leading to overcrowding and a stampede inside the theatre premises.
Revathi died in the incident, while her son sustained serious injuries.
Following the incident, police registered a case against the theatre management, Allu Arjun and members of his team under charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Allu Arjun was arrested on December 13, 2024, and produced before the Nampally court, which initially remanded him to 14 days of judicial custody.
His legal team subsequently approached the Telangana High Court, which granted him interim bail on the same day. He was released from jail the following day.
The Nampally court later granted him regular bail.
As part of the investigation, police questioned the actor for nearly three hours at Chikkadpally Police Station on December 24.
Officials reportedly confronted him with a 10-minute video compilation prepared from CCTV footage collected from the theatre premises.
Police filed a comprehensive charge sheet against all 23 accused in December last year, and proceedings in the case are now moving toward trial.