The Telangana High Court recently concluded hearings in two separate petitions filed by Adla Sharat Chandra Naidu, the personal assistant of Tollywood actor Allu Arjun, and his bouncers Cheruku Ramesh and Sriramulu Raju. The petitions sought anticipatory bail in connection with the stampede that occurred at Sandhya Theatre on December 4, which led to the tragic death of a woman and left her son, Sritej, critically injured.
The petitioners’ counsel argued that since the film producers of Mythri Movies were granted bail, the employees (NAidu and his bouncers) should also be entitled to anticipatory bail. The counsel emphasized that the petitioners were “small” employees and should be treated accordingly.
However, the public prosecutor, Palle Nageswara Rao, opposed the bail plea, stating that while the film producers had no role in the incident, the PA and the bouncers were directly involved in the stampede. He claimed that the bouncers contributed to the chaos by pushing people, which led to the tragic incident. He also referenced a statement from the Sandhya Theater manager, who claimed that Allu Arjun’s team ignored their advice and requests to refrain from coming to the theater. The manager also confirmed that they had conducted a roadshow without permission, which contributed to the commotion.
The public prosecutor raised questions about why the police did not arrest Allu Arjun at the scene, to which the officer explained that the actor could not be reached due to the overwhelming crowd. Allu Arjun himself has faced the law and was granted regular bail, with the judge reserving her orders on the anticipatory bail petitions of the PA and bouncers.
The court’s final decision is awaited, and it will determine whether the petitions for anticipatory bail will be granted to the accused.