The Andhra Pradesh High Court has quashed a case of poll code violation against Tollywood actor Allu Arjun, providing him significant relief. This decision came after the actor filed a petition concerning a First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Nandyal police, which accused him of violating election rules during the Assembly elections in May.
On May 11, Allu Arjun visited the residence of his friend, Silpa Ravi, the MLA from Nandyal seeking re-election. Since he did not obtain prior permission from the Returning Officer, a complaint was lodged against him and the YSR Congress candidate. His visit generated a large gathering of fans outside the MLA’s house, prompting a local government official to report the incident to the Two Town Police Station for disobedience to an official order.
Given the enforcement of Section 144 of the Election Code and Section 31 of the AP Police Act, the case against Allu Arjun and the MLA was filed. Following the incident, the Election Commission of India (ECI) took action against the then Nandyal District Superintendent of Police for failing to uphold the election code, prompting a departmental inquiry against the SP and two others.
Allu Arjun sought the High Court’s intervention to dismiss the case against him, and on October 25, the court issued an interim order preventing any legal action pending a decision, which arrived on November 6. His legal counsel argued that his visit was personal and unrelated to the campaign, asserting that he should not be held accountable for the crowd that assembled outside Silpa Ravi’s residence. Silpa Ravi, whose real name is Singareddy Ravichandra Kishore Reddy, ultimately lost in the elections held on May 13.