Saif Khan’s brawl case gets new turn as Malaika walks free from witness obligations

A Mumbai court on Wednesday cancelled a previously issued bailable warrant against actor-model Malaika Arora in the 2012 hotel assault case involving Saif Ali Khan. Arora appeared before the court and requested cancellation of the warrant, which was approved.

The warrant had been issued earlier after Arora failed to appear in court to record her statement as a prosecution witness in the case. She was among the guests at a dinner party held at a five-star hotel in Mumbai on February 22, 2012, where the alleged altercation took place. However, during the hearing, the prosecution informed the court that Arora was not supporting their case. As a result, the court allowed the prosecution’s request to drop her as a witness.

The incident dates back over a decade when Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, along with friends and family—including Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Malaika Arora, Amrita Arora, and others—was dining at the hotel. According to the complaint filed by NRI businessman Iqbal Mir Sharma, the group was allegedly being loud and disruptive.

When Sharma objected to their behaviour, Saif Khan allegedly responded by physically assaulting him, fracturing his nose. Sharma also claimed that his father-in-law Raman Patel was attacked during the confrontation. Saif and two of his companions were arrested but later released on bail. The actor, in his defence, maintained that Sharma had provoked the situation by using offensive language and making inappropriate comments about the women present at the table.

Arora’s involvement in the case resurfaced after she failed to respond to court summons, resulting in the bailable warrant. Her legal team moved swiftly on Wednesday to have the warrant revoked, which was accepted after her personal appearance before Chief Judicial Magistrate K S Zanwar at the Esplanade court. The case remains ongoing, with the next hearing scheduled for August 22, where the court will continue to examine evidence and witness accounts from the 2012 altercation that brought Bollywood back into legal scrutiny.