Allu Arjun steps out of jail after spending night

Hyderabad, Dec 14 (IANS) Popular Tollywood actor Allu Arjun stepped out of Chanchalguda Central Jail here on Saturday morning after spending the night in the prison in the case relating to a stampede at a theatre during the premier show of ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’.

The actor, who was granted interim bail by Telangana High Court on Friday evening an hour after a lower court sent him to judicial custody for 14 days, had to spend the night in the jail due to delay in the prison authorities receiving bail orders.

The prison authorities released the national award-winning actor from the rear gate of the jail. He was sent in an escort vehicle.

The actor drove straight to the office of Geeta Arts. He will arrive at his residence in Jubilee Hills later.

Police have made tight security arrangements around his residence.

Earlier, there was suspense on Friday night over his release.

Jail authorities said they received the bail order late in the night and since the prisoners can’t be released during night hours as per the prison manual, the actor would be released next morning.

Allu Arjun spent the night in Manjeera block as a special class status given by the Nampally Court that remanded him on Friday.

A large number of fans of the actor remained outside the jail till late in the night waiting for his release.

Allu Arjun’s lawyers submitted a personal bond of Rs 50,000 to Jail Superintendent as per the direction of the High Court.

While granting interim bail for four weeks, the High Court had directed police to continue the investigation.

It also directed the actor to cooperate in the investigation.

A woman died and her son was critically injured during the stampede at Sandhya Theatre during the premier show attended by Allu Arjun on December 4.

Police had registered a case under Sections 105 (Culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 118(1) (Voluntarily causing hurt) r/w 3(5) BNS against Allu Arjun, his security team and the management of the theatre.

The interim bail capped the day-long dramatic developments that began on Friday morning with the actor’s arrest from his residence in Jubilee Hills.

The bail orders came in the evening, barely an hour after a city court sent Allu Arjun to judicial custody for 14 days.

The High Court gave interim bail for four weeks during the hearing of the quash petition filed by the actor.

The pan-India actor received the respite even as the police were shifting him to Chanchalguda Jail from Nampally Criminal Court Complex.

The High Court also granted interim bail to three members of the theatre management who were arrested earlier in the case.

The Public Prosecutor raised an objection to the interim bail. The court adjourned further hearing to December 21.

During the hearing on quashing the petition, Allu Arjun’s counsel argued that BNS Section 105 does not apply to him as he had nothing to do with the stampede.

S. Niranjan Reddy argued that the actor can’t be held responsible for the stampede. He also informed the court that the theatre management and producer had informed the police in advance about Allu Arjun’s visit.

Niranjan Reddy cited the case of the 2017 stampede at Vadodara Railway Station during actor Shah Rukh Khan’s train journey from Mumbai to Delhi to promote his movie ‘Raees’.

The Gujarat High Court had quashed the complaint filed against Shah Rukh Khan for the stampede, which had killed one person and injured several others.

The Supreme Court later upheld the High Court order.

The Public Prosecutor told the court that Allu Arjun visited the theatre despite a request by police not to come, in view of the possibility of a huge gathering.

The court was informed that the actor reached the theatre in a rally. The police, which arrested the national award-winning actor from his residence in Hyderabad, produced him before a magistrate at the Nampally Criminal Court complex. He was named accused number 11 in the case.

Earlier, police recorded the statement of the actor at Chikkadpally Police Station. He was then taken to Gandhi Hospital for a medical check-up.