A woman went to watch a film with her family. She never came home. Now, nearly 18 months later, the actor whose arrival sparked the chaos has been summoned to face trial.
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Nampally Criminal Court in Hyderabad issued summons to Telugu actor Allu Arjun on Friday directing him to appear in person on June 22. The summons is connected to Sandhya Theatre stampede case which dates back to December 4, 2024. The incident claimed the life of a woman and left her young son critically injured.
Allu Arjun is named accused number 11 in the case. The Nampally Court has also issued summons to 19 other accused in the case, which involves a total of 23 chargesheeted persons. These include the theatre’s owners and partners, their staff, the actor’s manager, and other event personnel. Trial proceedings will begin once all accused appear before the judge.
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Allu Arjun attended premiere of his blockbuster film ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ at Sandhya Theatre on RTC X Road in Hyderabad. The theatre was packed with fans. When the actor arrived, the crowd surged. The situation quickly went out of control.
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The stampede killed 35-year-old Revathi, while her eight-year-old son, Sri Teja, was hospitalised on respiratory support for five months before being discharged for neurorehabilitation. Revathi’s husband and their two children had attended the screening because Sri Teja was a fan of the actor.
Police registered a case under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which covers culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and under Section 118(1) for causing hurt. The cases were filed against Allu Arjun, his security team, and the management of the cinema theatre.
A key finding in the investigation is that proper permission for the event was denied. Hyderabad police, in action-taken report submitted on March 20, 2025, stated that during course of investigation, it was revealed permission for the event had been rejected and Allu Arjun did not have authorisation to hold roadshow.
According to the chargesheet, Allu Arjun conducted roadshow and reached theatre without official permission. Police stated that his arrival triggered a sudden surge of fans at the venue, leading to uncontrollable crowd movement inside the theatre premises.
Allu Arjun was arrested on December 13 in connection with the incident. He was produced before the Nampally court, which remanded him to 14-day judicial custody.
The Telangana High Court granted him interim bail for four weeks on the same day. Justice J Sridevi pronounced this while hearing a quash petition filed by the actor.
The Nampally Criminal Court later granted him regular bail and directed him to deposit two sureties of Rs 50,000 each, cooperate with the investigation, and appear at the Chikkadpally Police Station every Sunday.
Allu Arjun appeared before police for questioning on December 24. He reached the Chikkadpally police station accompanied by his father Allu Aravind and lawyers just after 11 am. The questioning was conducted till 2:45 pm by a police team led by Central Zone DCP Akshansh Yadav. Police questioned him using CCTV footage compiled from the night of the incident.
Hyderabad City Police filed a detailed chargesheet before the court on December 24, 2025. A total of 23 persons were named as accused. Of them, 14 accused were arrested, while nine accused who secured anticipatory bail were served notices.
According to the police, the investigation revealed serious lapses in planning, crowd management, security arrangements, and coordination among the theatre management, event organisers, private security personnel, and others involved in managing the event.
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