Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh High Court Clears Tollywood Actor Allu Arjun of Poll Code Violation

In a significant relief to actor Allu Arjun, the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Wednesday quashed the case filed against him for violating the poll code during the May Assembly elections.

The case, registered by the Nandyal town police, accused Allu Arjun of breaching the election code after visiting the house of his friend Silpa Ravi, the sitting Nandyal MLA and YSR Congress candidate, on May 11. The actor, showing support for Ravi on the last day of the campaign, did not obtain prior permission from the Returning Officer, leading to a case against him and Ravi.

A large number of fans gathered outside Ravi’s house upon hearing about the actor’s visit, which prompted a local government official to file a complaint for disobedience of orders under the Election Code. Section 144 and Section 31 of the AP Police Act were in force, leading to the filing of charges against both the actor and the MLA.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) took the matter seriously, resulting in an order for the then Nandyal District Superintendent of Police, Raghuveer Reddy, to be held accountable for the failure to enforce the election code. The ECI also directed the Andhra Pradesh DGP to initiate charges against the SP and ordered a departmental inquiry.

Allu Arjun approached the High Court seeking to have the case against him dismissed. On October 25, the court issued an interim order preventing any legal action against him until November 6.

The actor’s lawyer argued that Allu Arjun’s visit to Nandyal was purely personal and had no connection to the elections. He also contended that the actor should not be held responsible for the crowd that gathered outside Silpa Ravi’s house.

Silpa Ravi, whose real name is Singareddy Ravichandra Kishore Reddy, was defeated in the elections held on May 13.