- Arjun, an actor, is not held prima facie responsible for the incident, as he attended the premiere.
- Arjun's plea to quash the FIR against him in the stampede case was rejected by the public prosecutor.
- The Gujarat High Court and Supreme Court upheld the criminal case against Shah Rukh Khan in 2017.
The verdict came after a day of fast-moving developments, beginning with the dramatic arrest of Allu Arjun from his residence in the morning. A lower court then sent the “Pushpa 2” star to judicial custody for 14 days. The December 4 stampede at the iconic Sandhya theatre resulted in the death of a 39-year-old woman and left her minor son seriously injured.
Justice Juvvadi Sridevi of the Telangana High Court ruled that the actor cannot be held prima facie responsible for the incident, as he had simply attended the theatre for the premiere of his movie.
"Saying that he is an actor, he cannot be deprived of his right. As a citizen of this earth, he too has the right to life and liberty," the court said while stressing that it had sympathy for the family of the deceased.
The court also noted that Sandhya Theatre had requested police security on December 4, citing the presence of Allu Arjun and his co-star Rashmika Mandhana for the film's screening with fans.
The court rejected the Telangana government's argument that Arjun knew the incident could occur if he attended the screening. "Is he responsible for the tragedy that happened? What knowledge did he have? He had taken permission," the court said.
The court was hearing a plea filed by Arjun to quash the FIR against him in the stampede case. However, the public prosecutor argued that the court cannot quash the FIR at this stage, as the accused has already been arrested. The government lawyer also stated that the police had advised the theatre owners to ask the actors not to attend the screening, as it could lead to chaos.
Allu Arjun’s legal team references 2017 Shah Rukh Khan Case in defense:
During the hearing, Allu Arjun's lawyer argued that the actor's arrest was merely for "sensationalism" and assured the court that he would cooperate with the investigation.The actor's lawyer also referenced a similar stampede incident involving Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan in 2017 during the promotion of his film "Raees". The Gujarat High Court had cancelled the criminal case against Khan, a decision that was upheld by the Supreme Court.
"In 2017, Shah Rukh Khan was charged with culpable homicide after a stampede occurred during promotion for Raees and because he threw t-shirts at the crowd. The Gujarat High Court and Supreme Court granted SRK relief," the lawyer said.
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