Malaika Arora Faces Court Warning of Non-Bailable Warrant in Saif Ali Khan Hotel Brawl Case

In a recent turn of events, the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Mumbai has expressed strong displeasure over actor Malaika Arora's repeated absence in the 2012 hotel brawl case involving Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan. The court remarked that Malaika was “intentionally” avoiding the legal process and has now warned her of a non-bailable warrant if she fails to appear in the next hearing.

The court had earlier issued a bailable warrant and directed Malaika to appear on April 29. However, she failed to do so. Though her legal representative was present in the court, the judge was clearly not impressed. Chief Judicial Magistrate K S Zanwar stated, “Despite the knowledge, she is trying to avoid the court proceeding intentionally.”

The incident in question happened on February 22, 2012, at a five-star hotel in Mumbai. Saif Ali Khan was dining with his wife Kareena Kapoor Khan, her sister Karisma Kapoor, Malaika Arora, Amrita Arora, and a few male friends. According to the police, an argument broke out between Saif's group and NRI businessman Iqbal Mir Sharma.

Reportedly, Sharma objected to the loud behaviour of the group, which led to a heated exchange. Saif allegedly punched Sharma, breaking his nose. Sharma also accused Saif and his friends of assaulting his father-in-law Raman Patel. Saif, however, has denied the allegations and claimed that Sharma used offensive and abusive language against the women at the table. This, according to him, provoked the situation.

Saif Ali Khan, along with his two friends Shakeel Ladak and Bilal Amrohi, were later arrested and charge-sheeted under section 325 of the IPC (voluntarily causing grievous hurt). The court had first issued a bailable warrant against Malaika on February 15 this year. When she didn’t appear, it was re-issued on April 8. Her absence again on April 29 triggered the court’s stern warning. The next hearing is scheduled for July 9, and the court has clearly mentioned that failure to appear will result in a non-bailable warrant.

All eyes are now on the upcoming hearing to see if Malaika will finally show up.