- Thursday, April 17, 2025
By: Vibhuti Pathak
In a recent development in the long-pending 2012 Saif Ali Khan hotel brawl case, a Mumbai magistrate court has reissued a bailable warrant against Bollywood actor Malaika Arora after her repeated failure to appear in court as a witness. The case, which traces back over a decade, continues to make headlines as proceedings slowly unfold in court.
On Monday, April 7, 2025, the court reissued the bailable warrant worth ₹5,000 against Arora, asking for a warrant report to be submitted by April 29. This is not the first time Malaika Arora has been summoned in the case. A previous bailable warrant was issued on March 15 when both she and her sister Amrita Arora Ladakh failed to attend court proceedings.
While Amrita Arora complied with the court order and deposed as a witness on March 29, Malaika Arora failed to show up once again, prompting the magistrate to take firmer action. Her continued absence has raised questions regarding the delay in testimonies for a case that has been dragging on since February 21, 2012.
The case in question revolves around an alleged physical altercation at a five-star restaurant in South Mumbai’s Colaba area. That night, Saif Ali Khan was dining with Malaika Arora, Amrita Arora, her husband Shakil Ladakh, and Bilal Amrohi. A heated verbal exchange reportedly escalated when Iqbal Mir Sharma, a South African national and Non-Resident Indian (NRI), got into a scuffle with the group.
According to Sharma’s complaint filed at the Colaba police station, Khan allegedly punched him, resulting in a fractured nose. The police booked Saif Ali Khan, Shakil Ladakh, and Bilal Amrohi under Section 325 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for voluntarily causing grievous hurt.
Over the years, the case has seen numerous delays, with the trial only recently gathering momentum. So far, three witnesses have testified before the court, including Amrita Arora, who stated in her deposition that the complainant was the one physically attacking Saif during the scuffle.
The reissuance of the warrant for Malaika Arora signals the court’s growing impatience with the lack of cooperation from key witnesses. The case continues to attract public interest, given the involvement of high-profile Bollywood celebrities and the lengthy legal timeline.
With the next hearing set for April 29 and the trial finally underway after more than a decade, all eyes are now on whether Malaika Arora will comply with the warrant and appear before the court. Her testimony could prove pivotal in determining the facts of the night that has become one of Bollywood’s most talked-about controversies.
