In a significant legal development for the Tollywood industry, the Nampally Criminal Court has officially granted global star Allu Arjun permission to appear virtually for the ongoing hearings related to the tragic Sandhya Theatre stampede case.
The prominent actor, who is currently stationed in Mumbai for a highly demanding, long-term shooting schedule of his upcoming mega-budget sci-fi action thriller RAAKA, directed by Atlee, had moved an absence petition through his legal counsel.
Citing severe logistical constraints, back-to-back production timelines, and intense look transitions that prevent frequent travel between Mumbai and Hyderabad, the actor requested an exemption from physical presence.
Acknowledging the defense’s dynamic memo, the judge approved the virtual attendance request and subsequently postponed the next high-profile hearing to July 29, 2026.
The long-standing case traces back to the deeply unfortunate incident on December 4, 2024, during a special premiere screening of Pushpa 2: The Rule at Hyderabad’s Sandhya Theatre, where massive crowd convergence led to a stampede that tragically claimed the life of a woman and left her young son critically injured.
Following an extensive multi-month investigation that involved detailed analysis of CCTV footage and three hours of police interrogation, law enforcement filed a comprehensive chargesheet naming 23 individuals as accused, listing Allu Arjun as Accused No. 11 (A11) alongside members of the theatre management and his personal security bouncers.
While the actual trial is scheduled to fully commence once all necessary preliminary physical and virtual representations are structurally recorded, the current court waiver allows the actor to continue handling his tight pan-India shooting deadlines without completely disrupting the active legal proceedings in Telangana.
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