HYDERABAD: Advocate S Niranjan Reddy, who is representing actor Allu Arjun in the Sandhya Theatre stampede case, asked whether leaders will be charged and prosecuted if people die or sustain injuries during political meetings.
During the arguments for regular bail to actor Allu Arjun in the II Additional Metropolitan Sessions Court, Nampally on Monday, the advocate said that there were incidents of stages collapsing during political meetings, leading to people sustaining injuries.
He said that in 2023, at a political meeting in Kandukur in Andhra Pradesh, seven people died but no leader was charged. Showing charts and sketches of place where the stampede occurred, he explained to the court that the deceased woman fell far from where Allu Arjun entered the theatre.
He also contended that the sections invoked against the accused in the Sandhya Theatre stampede case, especially culpable homicide, does not apply to Allu Arjun even though police informed the court that “sheer negligence” on part of the actor and other accused led to the death of woman.
Police said that theatre management should have taken precautionary measures but they are not saying that the management has done with an intention of causing death or bodily injury, he contended.
According to police, the private security pushed the crowd when Allu Arjun reached the theatre. But did they push them back with an intention to kill them or create bodily injury to someone, the advocate asked.
He also said Allu Arjun has not brought private security for creating disturbance but because he knew that there would be a massive crowd.
“Suppose if there is a police prohibitory order, if I violate it, I will simply be guilty of violating that order,” the advocate said and added that there was no such prohibitory order issued against the actor.
If it is unlawful to have private security, police should have booked the actor under some other Sections, he added.
After hearing the arguments, II Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Vinod Kumar reserved his order. He will pronounce his judgement on January 3.