Allu Arjun Summoned by Hyderabad Court in Sandhya Theatre Stampede Case Ahead of Trial
A local court in Hyderabad has directed Telugu superstar Allu Arjun to appear before it on Monday in connection with the tragic Sandhya Theatre stampede case that occurred in December 2024.
The summons was issued as legal proceedings in the matter move into the trial stage, nearly six months after the incident that claimed one life and left a young child critically injured.
The IX Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate at the Nampally Court Complex issued notices to Allu Arjun and 19 other individuals named in the case.
The court’s order comes ahead of the commencement of trial proceedings, which are scheduled to begin next week.
The case has drawn widespread public attention due to the actor’s immense popularity and the tragic circumstances surrounding the incident.
According to the chargesheet submitted by the Chikkadpally Police on December 27, 2024, Allu Arjun has been listed as Accused Number 11.
The case stems from the stampede that broke out on the night of December 4, 2024, outside Hyderabad’s Sandhya Theatre during the premiere screening of the blockbuster film ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’, which featured the actor in the lead role.
The unfortunate incident resulted in the death of a woman, while her young son sustained severe injuries and was left in critical condition.
Following the tragedy, police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Allu Arjun, the management of Sandhya Theatre and members of the actor’s personal security team.
The case was registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and voluntarily causing hurt. In total, the chargesheet names 23 individuals as accused in the case.
The investigation also led to Allu Arjun’s arrest on December 13, 2024. On the same day, however, the Telangana High Court granted him interim bail.
Despite securing relief from the court, the actor spent the night at Chanchalguda Central Prison before being released. Subsequently, on January 3, 2025, the IX Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate granted him regular bail.
According to the findings outlined in the police chargesheet, the primary responsibility for the fatal incident lay with the management of Sandhya Theatre.
Investigators alleged that adequate measures had not been put in place to regulate the crowd and prevent dangerous overcrowding.
The police further claimed that theatre authorities permitted additional people to enter the premises despite the venue already being congested.
They also alleged that the management failed to inform the police in advance about Allu Arjun’s proposed visit to the theatre and did not seek appropriate security arrangements for crowd management.
As part of the investigation, the police arrested three individuals associated with the theatre on December 9, 2024.
They included M. Sandeep, one of the partners of Sandhya Theatre; M. Nagaraju, the theatre’s manager; and G. Vijay Chander, who was in charge of the lower balcony section where the stampede reportedly occurred.
The complaint that led to the registration of the case was filed by Mogudampalli Bhaskar, whose wife, M. Revathi, lost her life in the stampede.
The tragedy also left the couple’s nine-year-old son in a coma, turning what was meant to be a celebratory movie premiere into a devastating personal loss for the family and sparking widespread concern over crowd management and public safety at high-profile events.
