Jhansi court issues non-bailable warrant against Rakhi Sawant in 2010 ‘Rakhi Ka Insaaf’ case
A Jhansi court has issued a non-bailable warrant against Rakhi Sawant for failing to appear in a 2010 case linked to her TV show, and asked police to produce her by 1 December, the prosecution said.
Television personality and actor Rakhi Sawant now faces a non-bailable warrant from a Jhansi court in Uttar Pradesh over a 2010 case, the prosecution said, because she repeatedly failed to appear on scheduled dates.
The warrant was issued on 16 October, District Government Counsel (Crime) Mridul Kant Srivastava said on 17 October, as reported by India TV. The court has asked police to arrest Sawant and produce her before it by 1 December, which is also the next date of hearing.
- Court: Jhansi (India TV names the presiding officer as Civil Judge (Junior Division) Anjali; the Free Press Journal names the same judge but describes the court as a Fast Track Court)
- Warrant issued: 16 October 2026
- Reason given: repeated non-appearance by the accused
- Next hearing: 1 December 2026
Background of the case
The case relates to Laxman Ahirwar, a resident of the Hansari area under the Prem Nagar police station in Jhansi, according to India TV. Ahirwar and his wife had appeared on Rakhi Ka Insaaf, a dispute-settlement reality show hosted by Sawant, over differences in their marriage. The episode aired in October 2010. Ahirwar died on 10 November 2010; reports state he died by suicide.
His mother later filed a complaint alleging that Sawant had used insulting and objectionable language against her son on the programme. Police registered a case against Sawant and members of the show’s production team and subsequently filed a charge sheet, India TV reported.
The Free Press Journal reported that the case was registered under Sections 294, 500, 501 and 504 of the Indian Penal Code, which relate to obscene acts or words, defamation and intentional insult. India TV did not list the sections. Neither of the two reports reviewed for this article cited an abetment-to-suicide provision. The court has not ruled on whether the remarks on the show were linked to Ahirwar’s death.
What the warrant means
The warrant is a step taken to secure the presence of the accused in a pending case and is not a finding of guilt, the Free Press Journal noted. The allegations against Sawant have not been decided by any court. The Free Press Journal reported that the warrant also covers other accused in the case who had not appeared.
Sawant’s response
Sawant has not issued a formal statement on the warrant or the allegations, according to the Free Press Journal, which reported that she reacted to a news post about the order on Instagram with laughing emojis. Her legal representatives had not publicly commented in the reports reviewed.
Sources: India TV, Free Press Journal
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