MUMBAI: The additional metropolitan magistrate almost issued an arrest warrant against Pooja Bhatt after her lawyer informed the court that she was not in the country. She, however, appeared in court half an hour later after her lawyer’s associate said that the lawyer did not know that she was in the country and so thought that she might have been abroad.

Pooja Bhatt had to appear in court in relation to the 2005 case filed against her by St. Xavier’s college professor and activist Pratibha Nathani on behalf of the Mumbai social service branch. The complaint suggested that the poster of the Pooja Bhatt-produced Irrfan Khan-starrer ‘Rog’ was offensive.

The afternoon session was on when Pooja Bhatt’s number was called out. Her lawyer from Parekh Associates, who himself was late, informed the court that she was out of the country and wouldn’t make it for the hearing. It was then that the magistrate threatened to issue an arrest warrant against her name if she wasn’t produced in court.

Hearing this, Pooja Bhaat rushed to court. Soon after, her lawyer filed a submission saying there was a misunderstanding and that they were not aware of Bhatt’s presence in town.

Pooja Bhatt has said that her absence was a case of pure misunderstanding and miscommunication. She also added, “I have always been present in court when called. I was supposed to travel to London for a month, but the visit has been postponed. In fact, I had informed the court earlier, but that judge has been transferred.”