NRI businessman hit Saif, Amrita Arora on 2012 hotel brawl
What's the story
On Saturday, actor Amrita Arora testified in court regarding the infamous 2012 brawl at the Taj Hotel involving actor Saif Ali Khan and an NRI businessman, Iqbal Sharma.
Arora, who was present during the incident, claimed that Sharma had misbehaved and threatened their group.
The altercation reportedly started when Sharma entered the restaurant's private section where Khan's group was dining and yelled at them to "shut up and keep quiet."
Witness account
'We all got shocked at what was happening'
Recalling the incident, Arora said, "We saw someone barging into our enclosure and, in a very loud, aggressive voice, told us to shut up and keep quiet. We all got shocked at what was happening."
She said Khan tried to diffuse the situation by apologizing to Sharma, after which Sharma walked away, and they resumed their dinner.
But the altercation escalated when Sharma returned and allegedly hit Khan.
Incident details
Sharma alleged Khan punched him, fracturing his nose
The incident, which took place on February 22, 2012, saw Khan dining at the upscale restaurant in South Mumbai with Kareena Kapoor Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Malaika Arora, Amrita Arora, and a few friends.
Sharma's family sat at a nearby table. According to police reports, Sharma was irritated by the loud chatter of Khan's group and asked them to lower their voices.
The request snowballed into an argument, with Sharma later claiming that Khan punched him in the nose, fracturing it.
Legal battle
Khan's consistent defense and legal proceedings
Khan has always maintained his defense, claiming Sharma instigated the fight by abusing the women in their group.
After the incident, Khan and his friends Shakeel Ladak and Bilal Amrohi were arrested but later got bail. They were charge-sheeted under Section 325 (assault) of the Indian Penal Code.
After several summons, Arora showed up in court, but not before a bailable warrant of ₹5K was issued against her and her sister, Malaika.