Jhansi court issues warrant against Rakhi Sawant over missed hearings

A new step in the pending proceedings

A court in Jhansi has issued a non-bailable warrant against actor Rakhi Sawant after she failed to attend hearings in a case dating to 2010. The Times of India and Moneycontrol report that the warrant was issued on Friday, October 16, citing District Government Counsel Mridul Kant Srivastava.

The latest development concerns her attendance in the legal proceedings. The warrant does not establish guilt over the allegations in the underlying case, and the reports do not say that Sawant has been arrested. The distinction matters in a case that has returned to public attention many years after the original complaint.

What the original complaint alleged

The proceedings relate to Laxman Prasad Ahirwar of Jhansi and Sawant’s former television programme, Rakhi Ka Insaaf. The Times of India reports that his mother filed a complaint against Sawant and others connected with the show after his death in 2010.

According to the family’s complaint described in the reporting, remarks made during the programme humiliated him and contributed to his distress. Those claims remain allegations within the case. They should not be treated as an established explanation for his death or as a judicial finding against the actor.

Moneycontrol’s report, citing PTI, says the programme featured a marital dispute involving Ahirwar and his wife. It reports that a chargesheet followed the police investigation.

The next date reported is December 1

Moneycontrol reports that the court has directed police to produce Sawant before it by December 1 and that the next hearing is scheduled for that date. The Times of India separately quotes the government counsel on the requirement for her to appear and seek bail through the legal process.

For now, the confirmed development is the new warrant following missed court appearances. The underlying allegations remain to be addressed in the proceedings.