Allu Arjun appears virtually in court in Pushpa 2 stampede case; hearing adjourned to July 29
HYDERABAD: Actor Allu Arjun appeared virtually before the Nampally Criminal Court on Monday in connection with the Sandhya Theatre stampede case linked to the premiere of Pushpa 2: The Rule.
The actor joined the proceedings online as he is in Mumbai for a film shoot. Of the 23 accused in the case, two did not appear before the court. The court adjourned the matter to July 29.
Allu Arjun named accused No. 11
Allu Arjun has been named accused No. 11 in the case arising from the stampede at Sandhya Theatre on RTC X Road during the premiere of Pushpa 2: The Rule on December 4, 2024.
The theatre’s owner, partners, manager, lower-balcony in-charge and gatekeeper have been named as accused Nos. 1 to 10 in the chargesheet.
The stampede claimed the life of Revathi, 39, while her son, Sritej, sustained critical injuries. The family, including her husband Bhaskar and their two children, had gone to the theatre to watch the film when large crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of the actor.
Police booked Allu Arjun, members of his team and the theatre management for culpable homicide not amounting to murder following the incident.
The actor was arrested on December 13, 2024. He was released the following day after the Telangana High Court granted him interim bail and was later granted regular bail.
Chargesheet cites crowd management lapses
Hyderabad Police said the investigation found lapses in planning, crowd management, security arrangements and coordination among the theatre management, event organisers and private security personnel.
The chargesheet, filed before the court on December 24, 2025, stated that 14 of the accused had been arrested, while notices were served on nine others who had secured anticipatory bail.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had earlier expressed dissatisfaction with the police report, observing that the police machinery appeared negligent in providing adequate security despite the anticipated crowd at the theatre.
