The trial in the case of actor Saif Ali Khan and two others, who allegedly beat a South African businessman and his father-in-law at a Mumbai hotel 11 years ago, is expected to begin next month from June 15.
An additional chief metropolitan magistrate charged Khan and two others, Shakeel Ladak and Bilal Amrohi, on April 24 under sections 325 (voluntarily causing severe harm) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.
What happened in the case?
The accused were arrested in response to a complaint filed by businessman Iqbal Mir Sharma on February 22, 2012, following an alleged dispute at the Wasabi restaurant inside the Taj Hotel. The three defendants were later released on bail.
According to authorities, when Sharma objected to the actor’s and his companions’ loud speech, Saif Ali Khan allegedly threatened them and punched him in the nose, shattering it. The NRI businessman also accused Saif and his friends of assaulting Raman Patel, his father-in-law.
According to Saif Ali Khan, Sharma made insulting remarks and used foul language against the women accompanying him, which caused the uproar.
At the time, Saif Ali Khan was accompanied by his wife, actress Kareena Kapoor Khan, her sister Karisma Kapoor, actors Malaika Arora Khan and Amrita Arora, and some male friends.
On December 21, 2012, the police submitted the charging sheet. Further trouble for actor Saif Ali Khan, the complainant in the 2012 Taj brawl case has refused to settle the case quietly.
Actor Saif Ali Khan will appear in a Mumbai court on June 18. A hearing was scheduled on April 6th but was deferred because the actor, who was away from Mumbai shooting, was unable to appear.
In march, 2015, Following a complaint from an RTI activist, the Union Home Ministry requested that the Mumbai Police expedite the report on the alleged incident, which had been languishing for seven months. Subhash Agrawal, an activist, had urged that the Home Ministry return Saif Ali Khan’s Padma Shri, which he won in 2010.