The court said Malaika was “intentionally” avoiding the legal proceedings by not attending the hearings, despite being aware of the summons issued to her.
Mumbai: A Mumbai court has warned actress Malaika Arora and given her a final chance to appear as a witness in the 2012 hotel brawl case involving Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan.
The court said Malaika was “intentionally“ avoiding the legal proceedings by not attending the hearings, despite being aware of the summons issued to her.
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Earlier, the court had issued a bailable warrant against Malaika Arora, asking her to appear before it on April 29, 2025. But she did not turn up. The court took this seriously and noted that her lawyer was present, but Malaika still chose not to appear.
The Chief Judicial Magistrate K S Zanwar, who is handling the matter, expressed disappointment and said, “Despite the knowledge, she (Arora) is trying to avoid the court proceeding intentionally.”
Because of her repeated absence, the court has now given her one final chance to attend the next hearing on July 9, 2025. The magistrate also warned that if she fails to be present on that date, the court will issue a non-bailable warrant against her.
Background
The case is connected to a brawl at a five-star hotel in Mumbai that took place on February 22, 2012. Actor Saif Ali Khan, his wife Kareena Kapoor, her sister Karisma Kapoor, Malaika Arora, Amrita Arora, and some male friends were dining at the hotel when the alleged incident happened.
According to police reports, NRI businessman Iqbal Mir Sharma got into a fight with Saif and his group after he objected to their loud conversations. Saif Ali Khan allegedly responded by punching Sharma in the nose, which caused a fracture.
Sharma also accused Saif and his friends of physically assaulting his father-in-law, Raman Patel.
On the other side, Saif Ali Khan has denied the allegations and claimed that Sharma used abusive language and made provocative comments about the women who were with him, which led to the fight.
Following the incident, Saif Ali Khan and his friends — Shakeel Ladak and Bilal Amrohi — were arrested. All three were later charge-sheeted under Section 325 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which deals with causing grievous hurt.
The court had first issued a bailable warrant against Malaika Arora on February 15, 2025, and reissued it again on April 8, 2025, as she continued to remain absent. Her absence on April 29, 2025, despite being aware of the court orders, prompted the court to issue this final warning.
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In clear terms, the court remarked, “Despite the knowledge, she (Arora) is trying to avoid the court proceeding intentionally.”
If Malaika Arora does not appear before the court on July 9, the court has made it clear that it will issue a non-bailable warrant, which means she could be arrested and brought to court by force.
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