Telugu actor Allu Arjun was released on Saturday from Hyderabad's Chanchalguda Central Jail where he spent his night on Friday despite being granted interim bail by the Telangana High Court in a stampede case at the premiere of his blockbuster movie Pushpa 2.
While his bail order came just hours after his arrest, he could not be released because the order reached the jail late.
"As of now he has been released...," said the actor's lawyer Ashok Reddy. "They received an order copy from High Court but despite that, they didn't release the accused (Allu Arjun)...they will have to answer...this is illegal detention, we will take legal action," he added.
Ahead of his release, film producer and Arjun's father Allu Aravind and his father-in-law Kancharla Chandrasekhar Reddy arrived at Chanchalguda Central Jail where the actor has been lodged. Following his release, the Pushpa-fame actor reached Geeta arts office, the production house run by his father.
On Friday night, the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Task Force, said that the superstar's release would happen "tomorrow morning" following the court's decision to grant him interim bail.
Allu Arjun was arrested on Friday in connection with the death of a 35-year-old woman due to a stampede-like situation during the premiere of his movie at Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad on December 4 while her eight-year-old son was hospitalised. He was sent to 14-day judicial custody by a local court but was granted bail by the Telangana High Court, all in less than five hours.
The national award-winning actor was taken to the Chikkadpally police station in a police vehicle to the surprise of his fans. He was produced before the Nampally court, which sent him to a 14-day judicial custody.
Arjun's arrest sparked a political slugfest. The BJP and BRS slammed the ruling Congress in Telangana and questioned the actor's treatment. Union Minister G Kishan Reddy also condemned the arrest and alleged that it intended to target an individual.
"The arrest of Shri Allu Arjun is irresponsible & unwarranted. The intent behind this arrest seems motivated as the organizers of the show claim to have informed the concerned authorities in advance," Reddy said in a post on X.
Meanwhile, Telangana Chief Revanth Reddy said at an event in New Delhi that the law is the same for everyone. "Nobody is talking about the woman who died or about her son who is in a coma. He won't have a mother when he wakes up from the coma," he added.