Hyderabad (Telangana) [India]: Actor Allu Arjun was released from Hyderabad Central Jail on Thursday morning after being granted interim bail by the Telangana High Court in connection with the Sandhya Theatre incident.
Allu Arjun was initially placed in 14-day judicial custody by a lower court, a decision that his legal team promptly challenged. The High Court approved his bail on furnishing a bond of ₹50,000. Despite the court’s decision, the actor spent a night in jail before being released in the morning.
Heavy security was deployed outside Chanchalguda Central Jail to manage the crowd gathered for the actor’s release. His father-in-law, Kancharla Chandrasekhar Reddy, was present to receive him.
The actor’s lawyer, Ashok Reddy, criticized the delay in his release, calling it an “illegal detention.”
“They received an order copy from High Court, but despite that, they didn’t release the accused (Allu Arjun)… This is illegal detention. We will take legal action. As of now, he has been released,” Reddy told reporters.
The Sandhya Theatre Incident
The case stems from an incident on December 4 at Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad during the screening of Pushpa 2. A large crowd gathered to see the actor, and police allege that his actions contributed to a tragic accident.
According to authorities, Allu Arjun appeared through the sunroof of his vehicle and waved to fans, which attracted more people to the theatre entrance. Amid the chaos, a woman named Revathi lost her life, and her son sustained injuries. Police claim the actor and his team ignored warnings about crowd safety.
“He came to the theatre, came out from the sunroof of his vehicle and started waving to the public. This gesture attracted a lot of the public towards the theatre’s main gate. His private security began pushing people to clear the way for his vehicle,” police said.
The actor remained at the venue for over two hours despite being advised to leave, the authorities added.
Support for Allu Arjun
The arrest has sparked widespread reactions from political leaders, including Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K.T. Rama Rao, who criticized the legal action. Film personalities such as Rashmika Mandanna and Varun Dhawan also voiced support for the actor.
At a Pushpa 2 success meet on December 7, Allu Arjun expressed his shock over the incident and announced financial aid for the deceased woman’s family.
“The incident that took place in the Sandhya Theatre is very unfortunate… I’m shocked. It took me hours to process it and respond to the incident. We all blanked out when we heard the news,” he stated.