Why Mumbai court threatened Malaika Arora with an arrest warrant
What's the story
Malaika Arora has been warned by the Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Mumbai that a non-bailable warrant may be issued against her for her "intentional" absence from court hearings. The case in question is the infamous 2012 brawl at the Taj Hotel involving actor Saif Ali Khan and an NRI businessman. Arora was present at the hotel during the incident and needs to testify as a witness.
Previous actions
Court issued bailable warrant earlier; now, gave a final warning
On Monday, her counsel pleaded for an exemption, but the court said that it was giving her a last chance to appear before it. If she doesn't appear for the next hearing, a non-bailable warrant will be issued against her. The court said she was "intentionally trying to avoid court proceedings." Notably, bailable warrants have been issued against Arora multiple times before.
Consequence
Arora's sister finally appeared before the court in March
On February 15, another bailable warrant was issued against her, sister Amrita Arora, and Farukh Wadia for not testifying. Subsequently, Amrita and Wadia testified, with the latter being declared hostile. Amrita claimed that it was the businessman who had misbehaved and threatened their group first. The brawl took place on February 22, 2012, when Khan was dining with a group of 12 people. The complainant, NRI businessman Iqbal Sharma, alleged Khan's group made too much noise and disturbed other diners.
Assault claims
Allegations of assault and subsequent legal action
When Sharma approached the restaurant authorities regarding the noise, he got into an argument with Khan and his friends. It was alleged that Khan and two of his friends then assaulted Sharma. Subsequently, a complaint was registered against Khan and two others at the Colaba Police Station under Section 325 (punishment for voluntarily causing grievous hurt) and 34 (common intent) of the IPC. The police filed the charge sheet on December 21, 2012.