Bollywood actor Amrita Arora Ladak took the witness stand on Saturday in connection with the long-running 2012 assault case involving actor Saif Ali Khan. The case, which has been lingering in court for over a decade, stems from an altercation at a luxury hotel where Khan allegedly attacked NRI businessman Iqbal Sharma and his father-in-law, Raman Patel.
Arora, a close friend of Khan and part of the dinner party that night, recounted the incident in court. She testified that the group, which included Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Malaika Arora, and others, had been dining in a private enclosure when Sharma abruptly entered and began shouting at them.
“We saw someone barging into our enclosure, speaking in a loud, aggressive voice, and telling us to keep quiet. We were all shocked. Saif immediately stood up and apologised,” Arora recalled. She further stated that Sharma initially left the area but returned later, this time physically confronting Khan.
“When Saif went to the washroom, we heard loud voices, including his. Moments later, Sharma came back and hit him,” she claimed, adding that the group had to intervene to separate them.
According to the police, Sharma had objected to the loud chatter from Khan and his friends, which allegedly led to the altercation. Sharma accused the actor of punching him and breaking his nose, while also claiming that Khan and his associates assaulted his father-in-law.
Khan, however, has maintained his stance that Sharma instigated the fight by hurling abusive remarks at the women in the group. The actor, along with his friends Shakeel Ladak and Bilal Amrohi, has been charge-sheeted under Section 325 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with voluntarily causing grievous hurt.
As the courtroom drama unfolds, the case remains a lingering chapter in Bollywood’s long list of legal battles, with the next hearing expected to determine whether the Nawab of Pataudi walks free or faces consequences for a decade-old brawl that refuses to fade from public memory.