Allu Arjun summoned in ‘Pushpa 2’ stampede case: Will he appear in person?

Hyderabad: Actor Allu Arjun has been directed to appear before the Nampally Criminal Court on June 22 in connection with the stampede case linked to the special premiere of ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ at Hyderabad's Sandhya Theatre.

The court issued summons to the actor as proceedings continue in the case arising from the December 2024 incident, which claimed the life of a woman and left her young son seriously injured.

Woman killed, child seriously injured

The heavy rush of fans led to a stampede, resulting in the death of a 39-year-old woman, Revathi, who reportedly died due to suffocation. Her eight-year-old son, Sreetej, sustained serious injuries in the incident.

Police name 23 people as accused

Following an extensive investigation, Chikkadapally police filed a chargesheet before the Nampally court.

According to the chargesheet, a total of 23 people have been named as accused in the case. The theatre management and staff have been listed as accused numbers A1 to A10, while Allu Arjun has been named as the 11th accused.

The inclusion of the actor among the accused has generated considerable discussion in both film and political circles.

Police stated in the chargesheet that the incident was the result of several lapses, including conducting the event without obtaining prior permission, failing to make adequate security arrangements, not properly following police directions and warnings, and shortcomings in coordination.

Court rejects request for virtual appearance

Meanwhile, Allu Arjun's legal team approached the court seeking exemption from personal appearance and requested permission for him to attend the proceedings through video conferencing.

However, the Nampally court declined the request and insisted that the actor be present in person.

Actor previously arrested, granted bail

Earlier in the case, Allu Arjun was arrested by the police in connection with the incident. He was subsequently granted regular bail by the Telangana High Court, subject to certain conditions.

It has also been reported that the family of the victims received financial assistance and support for medical expenses on humanitarian grounds.

With agency inputs